


Take the Long Road Home

by pepperfield



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Background Relationships, Comedy of Errors, False Identity, First Meetings, Fluff, Hijinks & Shenanigans, M/M, Mistaken Identity, Mutual Pining, Romantic Comedy, Team as Family, the honorifics are a mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-24
Updated: 2016-04-24
Packaged: 2018-06-03 08:01:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 28,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6603130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pepperfield/pseuds/pepperfield
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Azumane Asahi goes missing before his engagement meeting with Kozume Kenma, what other option is there but for Daichi to impersonate his brother and fake his way through a first date with Asahi's fiance?</p><p>Okay, let's be realistic - there were probably at least four other options.</p><p>Unfortunately, Tetsurou couldn't come up with any of them either, so now he's here flirting with Kenma's future husband while trying to keep his web of deceit from collapsing.</p><p>It's going to be an eventful day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take the Long Road Home

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be for KuroDai Week 2016 (first meetings/mutual pining/AU/future), but it just kept getting longer and longer...
> 
> So here it is now, a modern day arranged marriage mistaken identity AU, which means it's 100% a preposterous rom com; please suspend your disbelief accordingly. Let me know if you have any questions about this AU or about any of the familial relationships. I hope you like it!

With his stiffest bow, Daichi introduces himself. "Hello. I am Azumane Asahi. It's nice to finally meet you."

The tall brunet, an untamed tuft of hair covering one eye like he's in a boy band or something - Asahi's fiancé - bows in kind, straightening back up before he responds. "Likewise. I'm Kozume Kenma, but you probably knew that already."

Daichi nods, smiling at his future brother-in-law as he screams internally, wondering how the hell he wound up in this situation anyway.

This is not how he wanted to spend his Sunday.

\--

Let's rewind back to yesterday.

Azumane Daichi, eldest son of Azumane Hidemi of the Karasuno clan, is enjoying his breakfast while trying to cram all his readings before seeing his brother off at the train station, when Kiyoko says something that makes his blood run cold.

"What do you mean 'he's _missing'_? The meeting is tomorrow!" Daichi drops his half-eaten pork bun on the table, narrowly avoiding his cup of tea.

"He wasn't in his room this morning," Kiyoko replies. "He must have escaped yesterday night; I had to call the locksmith to have the door opened." She continues to wipe down the kitchen counters; the only thing betraying her worry is the frequency with which she wrings out her towel, flinging water from her hands.

Suga peeks his head into the room when he hears Daichi's yell, and cringes when Daichi turns his wild look toward him. He slips in and perches himself on the edge of the table. "Noya and Tanaka are gone too. They must have smuggled him out while we were sleeping." He takes the bun and places it back on a plate for him.

Daichi throws his hands in the air, breakfast forgotten. "Who put them in charge of guarding his room?"

The piercing stare Suga levels at him causes him to shrink back slightly. "I don't know, _Daichi_. Who could it be?" Kiyoko doesn't say anything, but the twitch at her mouth tells Daichi enough. He should have known better. _Technically_ , Suga and Kiyoko work for Daichi, so you'd think they'd treat him with a little more respect. But in reality, he does much prefer for them to tell things like they are. When you've been best friends for most of your lives, the lines between employer and employee get a little bit blurred, and honestly, no one who works for the Karasuno clan is a servant so much as they are family.

So their current predicament is Daichi's fault, for presuming that Tanaka and Noya might actually keep watch over Asahi instead of concocting a harebrained scheme to steal him away from his responsibilities. He groans, and slides down in his chair, descending halfway under the table. "Shit. We can't call the meeting off now; it'll reflect poorly on the whole clan. Any idea where they might have gone?"

"My guess? Probably Tanaka's family home, but it's over 3 hours away. We can't go get him and make the train to Tokyo in time," Suga says. Daichi watches him rearrange the table settings again even though nothing's been moved. He goes to help neaten the flowers, but Suga lightly smacks him away.

"Okay, okay, let's think about this," Daichi says, scooting back up in his chair. "We can't change the meeting place to Miyagi at this point either. Could we postpone it? I could call Nekoma; explain the situation."

"Explain what, that the groom-to-be already has cold feet?" Suga asks, skeptical. "How do you think Kozume's going to take that?"

"It wouldn't go over very well," Kiyoko agrees. "I think we need to call Keishin-sama and Takeda-sama back from overseas. Takeda-sama may be the one person who can smooth things over with Nekomata-san."

"Are we really that desperate? That's a huge connection they're trying to land. It would be just as bad to tank that deal as it is to lose the engagement with Kozume. There has to be something else we can do." Daichi stands, pushing his chair back in to begin pacing the room.

There's a slight clatter as Suga drops the chopsticks he's holding onto the plate underneath. "There's one thing that I've been thinking about," he starts, turning to face Daichi. His voice is hesitant, but it's clear from the shine in his eyes that he's thought of a loophole. Suga's scheming, for sure.

"Let's hear it. We really don't have that many options right now."

"Kozume doesn't know what Asahi looks like, right?" 

Daichi frowns. He doesn't think he likes where this is going. "No, I don't think so. We all keep a pretty low profile online. Not many public photos as far as I remember. And Asahi didn't bother exchanging pictures with Kozume. They're both the shy type, I guess, and it's not like we're doing a regular omiai here."

"And they've never spoken over the phone, correct?"

"No, it was decided that it would be better to just wait for the in-person meeting," Kiyoko confirms.

"Excellent. This might work after all!" Suga says, grinning. People who don't know him well might say he looks cheerful, but Daichi recognizes it for the crocodile smile that it is. Now he's certain he doesn't like where this is going. "Kiyoko," Suga continues, "Tell Ennoshita to cancel Daichi's plans for tomorrow. He'll be coming with us to Tokyo instead."

Daichi's mouth snaps shut. Why would he need to...no. _No_.

Absolutely not.

"Are you seriously suggesting- you want me to _stand in_ for Asahi?" Daichi asks, horrified.

"Just for one day. You just need to make a good enough impression that Nekoma agrees to move forth with the marriage, and we can work out the rest later when Keishin-sama and Takeda-sama get home and we find Asahi." Suga tries to pat Daichi's arm soothingly, but it's no help. Daichi collapses back into a chair, too caught up in how totally screwed they are.

"This is not a sustainable plan! What the hell is Asahi supposed to do the next time they meet? You think Kozume's not going to notice that his fiancé is suddenly 10cm taller and grew a fuckton of hair?"

"It is fairly well-known that Asahi has a...delicate personality," Kiyoko muses. "I do not think that it would be unforgivable if his older brother were to vet his future husband for him first."

Suga gasps, hands flying to his mouth. "You're a genius, Shimizu Kiyoko. That's exactly what we'll say afterwards. You can go back with Asahi the next time and explain that you were just looking out for him. Play up the over-protective brother angle; I mean, _we_ all know it's not true, but Nekoma doesn't. I'm sure if you prostrate yourself long enough Nekomata-san and Kozume will forgive you."

Daichi plasters his hands over his face, slowly dragging his hands downwards, pulling his eyelids and lips along. "I can't pull this off. You both know I can't act; Kozume's going to break off the engagement and I'll never outlive the shame. It's going to follow me to my grave. 'Here lies Azumane Daichi, he who impersonated his brother so poorly that Karasuno and Nekoma went to war again'. They won't even bury me in the family plot, I bet."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Daichi! You're the only one who can do this. Tobio is too young, and Tadashi's the only other person who could pass for an Azumane, but he's at school. Besides, who knows Asahi as well as you?"

"You do," Daichi mumbles through his hands, but Suga just laughs, smacking him in the chest.

"Ha! Don't get me wrong, I'd love to live a day among the upper class, but it would never work. You better start getting prepared. You need to be able to introduce yourself without any hiccups tomorrow."

"I can't believe I'm even going to consider doing this." Daichi peeks out from under his hands, but all he sees is Suga's determined face staring back at him and he groans. "I can't believe you've talked me into doing this."

This time, Suga's smile is sincere, and a little bit resigned. "C'mon, Daichi, just remember that in ten years Asahi will still owe you for this, and you can lord it over him forever. Now, let's go. Kiyoko and I will help you plan tomorrow out."

Daichi allows himself to be limply led away by them both. He's going to do this, because he loves his brother and doesn't want him to ruin his own future, but he will never, _ever_ let Asahi live this down.

\--

Let's rewind a little bit more. Say, around twenty-five years back this time.

Since time immemorial, Karasuno and Nekoma have been at odds. After the first couple hundred years, they stopped attacking each other as they entered the modern age, turning instead to battling in the economic sphere. Each clan continued to prosper, until they found themselves no longer in competition, but rather cooperating, as their interests intersected. No matter their relationship, Karasuno and Nekoma’s fates will always converge.

Nekomata Yasafumi and Ukai Ikkei, having spent the greater part of their acquaintance in a healthy rivalry that's blooming into a tentative friendship now that they've neared retirement, meet over tea in Tokyo one late July afternoon. In the yard, Ukai's first grandson Keishin, only 4 years old, totters after Naoi Manabu, two years his senior. Manabu kicks a ball across the lawn, laughing as Keishin runs after it, almost falling on his face.

"You know, Ukai, I think that's the friendliest I've ever seen a Karasuno kid playing with one of ours," Nekomata remarks, watching the children play. Ukai grunts in acknowledgement, taking a long sip of his tea.

"Ha, they're getting more and more peaceful with each generation. Next thing you know, we'll be intermarrying," Ukai says. "That's something I'd have to see with my own eyes to believe."

"That might not be so far off." Nekomata gestures down at the kids; Keishin shrieks as Manabu chases after him, trying to catch him with exaggerated swoops of his arms. "I'd say those two might be a good match if your boy weren't already promised to the Takeda heir."

"Hmmm. Now that I'm thinking about it, it doesn't seem like such a bad idea after all. We've been working together more and more as the years go by. A union through marriage might actually strengthen our assets," Ukai says, frowning thoughtfully.

Nekomata jabs him with a finger, cat smirk growing. "You're really considering it, aren't you? I never thought I'd see the day you'd agree with me so easily."

"We're getting older. Maybe I just want to see something new come out of this old rivalry between our clans."

"Alright, you old codger. I can't say I wouldn't mind a new beginning either. I'll bring it up next time we have a family meeting. Test the waters; maybe wait until one of the Kuroo or Haiba heirs is born."

Ukai snorts, and kicks his feet up as the children zoom past. "It's a deal then. Before we die, we'll see the families joined."

 

The marriage isn't arranged by the time Shimada Makoto or Haiba Alisa is born, nor when Naoi Nobuyuki and Tsukishima Akiteru are brought into the world. Shimada Yui is betrothed to a daughter of Niiyama, and Yamamoto Taketora to a son of Nohebi: two political marriages with greater immediate gain than the whimsical plans of two old men.

By the time Kuroo Tetsurou and Azumane Daichi are born, those plans have fallen to the wayside.

It isn't until the birth of the first Kozume child that the marriage enters anyone's thoughts again. Young Tetsurou, standing with his great-uncle, observes the baby in his aunt's arms scrunching up his nose and peering out at him with golden eyes, and asks his great-uncle, "Will he be lonely?"

Nekomata smiles and ruffles his great-nephew's wild hair, telling him, "Not if you and your cousins play with him. You're a good boy; I know you'll do your best to include him."

"Yeah, I will," Tetsurou agrees, but he still worries at his lip. "But he's small. No one else is as small as him. He’s gonna be sad if there’s no other babies. Me and Tora and Nobu are all bigger. Don't you know another baby he can be friends with?" he asks, tugging at Nekomata's sleeve.

"Hm, someone else who's Kenma's age? Well, there is one. I have a friend, and someone in his family had a baby this year too. On the first day, even. Can you believe that? Being born on the new year?"

"That's cool! A New Year's baby. He should be Kenma's friend," Tetsurou decides, and Nekomata grins back at him.

"That's a pretty good idea you have there, Tetsurou. Maybe he should."

 

Neither child will remember this, but Azumane Asahi and Kozume Kenma meet for the first time a few weeks after Kenma's second birthday, and that's when Ukai and Nekomata settle it. The plans aren't finalized by the two families until over fifteen years later, but that's the day they decide that Asahi and Kenma will be wed. That's the day they start planning for Karasuno and Nekoma's new beginning, and the wheels of fate are once more set into motion.

\--

Back to T-minus one days. While Azumane Daichi practices his introduction, several prefectures away, Tetsurou - first son of the Kuroo branch of Nekoma - has his own set of problems.

Namely, that his best friend (and cousin) has been kidnapped.

One day before his engagement meeting.

Yaku eyes the ransom note critically, running his finger over the letters that have been shoddily glued to the piece of printer paper slipped under Kenma's front door. "How much are you willing to bet that if we went to Kenma's room right now, we'd find one of his gaming magazines with all the words cut out?"

"Don't be silly. He'd at least dispose of the evidence," Tetsurou replies. He'd had the sense when he woke up this morning that something would be going wrong, but he'd never suspected just what the problem would be. Nobuyuki, peering over Yaku's shoulder, frowns at the message: _I have taken Kozume Kenma. If you ever want to see him again, call off the engagement to Azumane Asahi._

With a sigh, Yaku sinks back in his chair and tosses the paper onto the table. "So now what? You two are in charge while Yasafumi-sama is away. It's your call. Should we tell Karasuno that he's gone into hiding?"

"Was he always this against the engagement?" Nobuyuki asks, scratching at his head. "He didn't seem that opposed when it was first proposed."

Tetsurou kneads at his temples to try and assuage the pounding ache. "I don't think so. He seemed sort of nervous about it, but not like he really hated the idea. He would have spoken up sooner if he really cared that much." The last time they had discussed it, Kenma had merely shrugged with his usual apathy and gone back to destroying Tetsurou in Mario Kart.

"Well, no matter how he felt about it before, he's definitely trying to back out of it now. But this is the worst possible time for him to change his mind." Yakkun steeples his fingers together as he thinks. "Your entire clan's alliance with Karasuno is completely contingent on this marriage. I mean, it's not like good relations will utterly collapse or anything, but we would lose _a lot_ of face if Kenma doesn't show up for the engagement meeting tomorrow."

"We're not calling off the engagement. This is Gramps' dream, and I'm not going to let it fall through," Tetsurou tells him. "But even though I'm usually pretty good at finding Kenma, I know he's not going to make it easy for us this time, which means there's a slim to none chance he'll be going to the meeting tomorrow."

"Which means someone else is going to have to go in his place," Nobuyuki infers, picking up on Tetsurou's train of thought.

Yaku's eyebrows jump up as he catches onto their plan. "You intend to send someone to pose as Kenma? Who?"

Tetsurou taps the paper on the table, his lips pursed. "That's the thing. Lev can't lie for his life. Yuuki's way too young; they'd catch on right away. You would be a good fit, or Sou, but we can't chance that. If someone found out, you'd be fired for the scandal, and we can't have that happen. Honestly, it's probably gotta be me or Nobu, and between the two of us, I can pass off for a little younger more easily."

Nobuyuki nods. "You also know Kenma best. That'll be a great help when you're talking with Azumane."

"That's the way it's going to have to be then," Tetsurou says. "We'll have to charge Sou and Lev with hunting down Kenma, since you two will have to accompany me so nothing looks out of the ordinary. At least this won't be the most ridiculous charade we've ever tried to pull off." That would likely be the time he pretended to be Bokuto’s butler during a dinner party, or maybe the time Shouhei and Tora wound up on the wrong private jet. Tetsurou looks at the note Kenma's left behind, wondering where the hell he might have gone. Honestly, he doesn't want to pressure Kenma into anything he's not comfortable with, but that's an issue for another day. For now, it's up to them to keep up Nekoma's end of the bargain, even if that means lying to do so.

\--

Now that we've caught up with our heroes' predicaments, we can return to Sunday, at 10:31am.

Tetsurou rushes into the hotel lobby, cursing his luck that the patterns of traffic have already set him a minute behind. Yaku and Nobu went to stay in a cafe nearby, waiting on word from Lev about Kenma. Before entering the cafe, he pauses to catch his breath and fix his tie so Azumane doesn't think he (or Kenma, rather) is a slob. Peering into the mirror hanging near the front desk, he does his best to sort out his incorrigible bedhead, but it's no use. Hopefully Azumane finds it rakish instead of sloppy.

Standing up tall so his usually relaxed posture is straightened, he strides into the cafe, trying his best to keep his cool. He inquires with the attendant near the door about the reserved table for Karasuno and Nekoma, and is pointed to a table to the left corner, by a marble column, out of the sight of other patrons. Tetsurou approaches, and while he still has the advantage, he takes the chance to observe the young man sitting there fiddling with the napkin in his hands.

He's got broad shoulders and short, black hair that frames a square face; from this angle, the light from the back window falls over their table, scattering sunbeams across his right side so that his eyelashes appear even darker when he blinks. He finally turns to look at Tetsurou when he draws within about a meter and a half. He doesn't startle or jump, even though his body seems slightly stiff from nerves, but as he stands up to meet Tetsurou, he doesn't avert his gaze despite his anxiety. And thus, that's what Tetsurou takes note of first, that Azumane Asahi has nice eyes, clear and open. The second thing he notices is an errant sense of déjà vu - it doesn't feel like he's lived this exact moment before, but perhaps some iteration of it, another brown-eyed boy seeing Tetsurou for the first time, another chance meeting long forgotten. But he can't think on his daydreams now; it's not the appropriate time for that.

They greet one another, and Tetsurou is just thankful he doesn't trip up when he says Kenma's name. He takes a seat across from Azumane and they both stare at each other for a beat before trying to talk at the same time. Tetsurou breaks off as Azumane says his apologies, ducking his head shyly, and then it's his turn to apologize.

"No, please, you go ahead. I'm...new to all of this; I'm probably messing up all the protocol," Tetsurou admits, even though he shouldn't so readily point out how unprofessional he is. But Azumane doesn't mind at all, from the small smile he sends his way.

"Don't worry, it's not like I've ever done this before either," Azumane says. "I guess we should try to get to know each other? All I have is your name."

Right. Tetsurou's practiced for this. "Okay, I'll start. You already know my name, so we'll go with the basics? My birthday is October 16th. I'm 20, turning 21 this year, though, uh, everyone always says I look kind of old for my age." It's a weak way of explaining why Tetsurou, who's four years older than Kenma, looks the way he does when he's supposed to be 20.

"Everyone says the same thing about me! That there's no way I could be just 21. Also that I look like a bully." For some reason, Tetsurou doesn't expect Azumane's laugh to be so bright, or so freely given away. It distracts from his words for a second, but when he registers what Azumane said, he's left confused.

"A bully?" he asks, baffled. "I can't see it at all."

Azumane looks away, sheepish. "Oh. Yeah. Well, I guess sometimes my face can be somewhat scary? That's what people say. And my build is sort of intimidating."

Tetsurou takes this as an excuse to look him over, but he still doesn't get it. People around Azumane must be blind. "I mean, you have a solid shape, but I wouldn't expect you to beat me up or something if we crossed paths."

"Ha, you haven't seen my bad side yet, that's all. Anyway, please continue." He gestures at Tetsurou, who feels like he's suddenly forgotten all that he was rehearsing not hours before.

"Sure, um, I'm majoring in mechanical engineering at a technical school. It's pretty tiring, but interesting. I don't like group projects, but the classwork isn't so bad." This he gathered from Kenma, who says it's 'something to do that I don't hate,' with an indifferent shrug. 

"Oh! That's really cool. I'm at Seikoudai for business administration. It’s not super exciting, but you know, with the family business and all. It’s good. I should be graduating next year.” Azumane shrugs, and Tetsurou decides it’s best to avoid college talk for now, since engineering is definitely Kenma’s forte, not his. He’ll concentrate on getting Azumane to talk about himself, instead.

“Will you start work after you graduate, or do you plan on getting your MBA?” 

“That's a good question. I...haven't quite decided yet.” Azumane scratches at the short hair at the nape of his neck looking sort of flummoxed, and Tetsurou mentally facepalms at his own foolishness. “Applications are due soon, but my uncle really wants me to start with him once I'm out of school. It's an ongoing discussion. Sorry, you probably don't want to hear all the family drama.” 

“No, hey, I should've known better. My folks are always trying to talk to me about my future; I know how annoying it can be. How about this, no more career talk. Just frivolous get to know you stuff. Like your favorite color, food, the kind of silly first date shit people talk about.” 

“So it’s a date now?” Azumane asks, teasing, and now Tetsurou’s the one who’s left flustered under the force of those dark eyes keeping all their attention on him. “I suppose that’s not inaccurate. Uh. So. My favorite color is yellow, and my favorite food is sh- um, tonkotsu ramen. My birthday is January 1st, but I don’t really enjoy the snow. I like reading historical novels and I’ve always wanted a pet, but animals don’t like me much. Is that what you were looking for?”

Tetsurou files each fact away in a mental dossier to update Kenma with later. “It’s a good start. We should at least know that much about each other, right? Let’s see. I guess I like black? And apple pie. I don’t have many hobbies, but I do play video games to pass the time.”

Azumane nods, still watching Tetsurou attentively. “I don’t know much about video games, but if you teach me, I’d be willing to try. I’m not great at cards either, sorry. I don't think I’ve ever won a single game against my brothers. Oh, but I do like sports. Sometimes I play volleyball with a local club.“

Tetsurou perks up. He and Kenma both play volleyball. Good, that’s something they can bond over. “I used to play volleyball too, back in high school! My position was setter, what about you?”

“Wing spiker! Uh. I’m not the tallest, but I suppose I was the ace of my high school team? More or less? But that was a while ago.” Azumane sounds self-conscious, but it’s kind of endearing. He doesn’t seem to be the type who’s used to boasting.

“I’m sure you’re still pretty good then. We should play together sometime. We’ll be seeing a lot more of each other from now on - maybe we can round up some people and have a match.”

“That sounds fun, playing together on the same team. It's been awhile since I’ve played with someone my age! You can entrust your toss to me. I will be an ace worthy of hitting the ball that you set.” He looks excited when he first starts speaking, but by the end, has fixed his stare calmly on Tetsurou, expression deeply dignified.

It’s so solemn and formal that Tetsurou forgets for a second they’re talking about volleyball, and then he forgets he’s supposed to be a setter. When he finally catches his bearings again, he laughs and bows his head. “Then I will do my best as your setter. I am in your care.” When he raises his head, he sees the corners of Azumane’s mouth twitching up, as he too realizes how absurd this meeting feels when they’re talking about volleyball instead.

“Well, if we’re going to be on such intimate terms, you should call me by my first name. All my teammates do,” Azumane says, unable to stop his smile.

“Moving quickly, aren’t we? Then please, Asahi-san, call me Kenma.” Tetsurou just hopes he’ll remember to respond to that name.

“Kenma-san. That’s going to take some getting used to, but might as well start now,” Azumane, no, _Asahi_ says. “Are you thirsty? I didn’t get anything yet. I was afraid if I left my seat to buy a drink, we might somehow miss each other,” he admits.

“I could use some coffee,” Tetsurou says gamely. They stand at the same time and walk to the cafe counter together, keeping a safe, proper distance between themselves.

As Asahi orders a plain iced coffee, Tetsurou feels himself start to relax. He’s not dropping his guard, but it’s not so hard to play at being Kenma. He’s not doing Kenma’s personality justice at all, but Asahi’s not looking to catch him out in a lie, so as long as he gets through this day without the imploding or letting the truth escape, they’ll be safe. He’ll explain when Asahi next meets Kenma; he’ll tell them the family was concerned about Kenma’s safety, as the only child of the Kozume branch alone in the city with his equally young fiancé, which is why Tetsurou, older and trained in self-defense, had come in his place. It’s not the best excuse, but it’s passable.

Tetsurou gets his drink hot, and they return to their table, still walking a fair distance apart. After sitting back down, they sip at their drinks without speaking. He sneaks a peek at Asahi when he thinks he’s not looking, and barely catches Asahi’s eyes darting away, back down at his coffee. He doesn’t mind the quiet, but he hates when it becomes awkward, so he blurts out something to keep the conversation going.

“So, any preferences for the wedding yet? Tokyo or Miyagi? Summer? Fall?” he asks, hoping it’s not another tender subject.

There’s a cracking noise as Asahi bites down on a bit of ice, flinching at the chill. “I can honestly say I haven’t thought about it at all yet,” he says, his tone bordering on dry. He swirls his straw in around his cup, asking, “What about you? I’m willing to entertain any of your long-standing wedding dreams.”

“Me?” Tetsurou tries to think about what Kenma would prefer, but nothing particularly comes to mind. Kenma hasn’t had many opinions on the whole marriage situation, so he decides to pick what he himself would like to see for them. “The summer’s a little hot, so April or May would be best. And I love Tokyo, but I think if we’re going to go traditional, we should have it done in Miyagi. Open space, beautiful scenery. Maybe the cherry blossoms will still be in bloom. A small ceremony, with just our closest family, on a clear spring day. Something like that?” It would be nice to have it done at one of the shrines out there, Kenma and Asahi in their haori and hakama. The image seems still like a far-off dream, but Tetsurou hopes he’ll get to see it one day.

Asahi tilts his head thoughtfully. “That actually sounds pretty good. It’s hard to tell from your face, but you’re a bit of a romantic, aren’t you, Kenma-san?”

Tetsurou rakes a hand through his hair, unsure of how to read his tone. He sounds like he wasn’t expecting it, but at the same time, it seems almost like a compliment. Lev and Yakkun have always said he has somewhat of a dramatic streak in him, and Kenma never hesitates to chide him for being corny. No doubt Asahi also finds it cloying. “You could say that. Sorry, it’s probably kind of embarrassing-”

“No, it’s sweet,” Asahi interrupts, lifting a hand to halt Tetsurou’s apologies. “I’m surrounded by pragmatists, so I’m not used to it, but. I think it’s nice that you’ve thought about it. That you’re serious about this, about us.” He leaves off poking at his drink to fold his hands before him, looking up and away as he considers what to say.

“I’m going to be honest with you,” he continues, his gaze settling back on Tetsurou. “I always knew we’d be here someday, but I’d never really thought about how it would play out? It was just...somewhere in the future, you know? Something that always felt farther away than it really was, almost like it was going to happen to someone else. But here you are, just as new to this as I am, and it’s finally starting to sink in that you’re real. This is all really happening, here and now. And I think- I think I’m glad I went through with it. I’m glad I came to meet you today.”

Sometimes, when Tetsurou gets in too deep with his schemes and his designs, he loses track of himself in favor of his goal. All morning, in the car and here in the cafe, he’s been trying his best to keep Kenma in mind, to detach himself from the situation and go through the motions as impartially as possible. To keep this pretense simple. Nothing that takes place today has anything to do with Tetsurou. He’s only the intermediary. But when Asahi says all those things, looking so honest and speaking so candidly without once mentioning Kenma’s name? That’s all it takes for Tetsurou’s resolve to stumble.

Because without the reminder that he’s doing this for Kenma, his unsuspecting heart fills in the blanks. Interprets that last sentence as _I’m glad I came to meet you today, Tetsurou. Here you are now, Tetsurou. I’m happy you’re serious about us, Tetsurou._

Once he’s thought about it, it can’t be forgotten. Nothing that happens today has anything to do with Tetsurou, but for Asahi, _it does_. As far as Asahi knows, they’re engaged. Tetsurou is his future husband, and, all things considered, despite having hesitations before, Asahi _doesn’t mind_. He’s going to leave Tokyo today under the impression that one day in the future he’ll wake up in the morning with Tetsurou lying by his side, in their shared house, wearing matching wedding bands, and he’s okay with that.

He’s glad, even.

And Tetsurou knows better, he swears. He knows this shouldn’t change anything, that it shouldn’t matter, and it doesn’t. This whole day is just a comedy of errors - something they can laugh about in the future, after the newlyweds are settled in their lives together.

Nothing has changed, he tells himself. So why do the words he says next ring so true?

“I’m happy to hear that. I was a little scared of letting you down, or messing everything up today, but you’re really everything I could have hoped for. Thank you for giving this a chance. I think that together you and I can make this work.” Tetsurou notices a measure of relief settle on Asahi’s face at the affirmation of his commitment to this marriage, and he takes it as a sign to continue. There’s nothing to do but keep moving forward. Ignore the guilt of each compounding lie. Ignore the inconvenient coil of heat in his chest that starts whenever Asahi looks him in the eye and the frightening flutter in his heart rate whenever Asahi speaks. This straight-laced young man who jokes with people like they're not just strangers, who has a laugh like the glimmer of sunshine that pierces down to the ocean floor, isn't here to meet Tetsurou. He's here for Kenma. This is for Kenma.

Tetsurou exhales, and forces himself to relax his posture. “So. If this is really going to happen...why don’t you tell me more about your family? Gotta study up on my future in-laws.”

“Oh, that’s a good topic. Nice job keeping things rolling,” Asahi says. “I’m the second of three sons. My younger brother Tobio is still in high school; he also plays volleyball. He’s crazy about it. Every time I’m around he wants me to practice with him, haha, but he’s always busy when I’m back on break. Daichi, my older brother, well, uh, he’s usually away from home...”

Tetsurou listens prudently, while rehearsing what to say. Two brothers - he’ll probably meet them at the wedding, if not sooner. Meanwhile, Kenma’s an only child, so he’ll have to expound on the family a little bit. Maybe mention himself. He tries to concentrate on what Asahi’s saying instead of getting distracted by his own thoughts. This meeting is far from over. He still has to make it through the rest of the day. He has to make sure today works out.

\--

Daichi doesn't know what he expected Asahi's fiancé to be like, but somehow, this wasn't it.

Kenma is much taller than he imagined, with a wicked smile and calculating eyes, but he's an almost-perfect gentleman when he's not joking around. Part of it is the inherent formality that comes with a first meeting, but it's more than that, Daichi thinks. Even in a well-pressed suit, he carries a roguish, wily charm, but he’s surprisingly level-headed and courteous, with his nervous energy from trying to please Daichi slowly giving way to a naturally laid-back personality. He could be a good match for Asahi. Someone who would take care of Asahi's glass heart, but bring him out of his shell; someone who's mischievous where Asahi is gentle, but steady where Asahi is fragile. Someone who could be tempered by Asahi's good nature, but would be affectionate enough to keep away Asahi’s gloom.

Maybe this marriage can work after all.

After chatting at their table until they’ve finished their drinks, they leave the hotel behind to take a walk around the nearby park, still trying to feel each other out. They've been talking for close to an hour now, but it still feels like they've barely scratched the surface of acquaintanceship. Still, the atmosphere between them is less stilted than he thought it would be. Kenma is likable and quick-witted, which makes things run smoother. Daichi informs Kiyoko of where they're going as he passes her in the lobby and she nods when she doesn't notice him using any of their SOS signals. The sky above the Tokyo highrises is clear blue, and the temperature is comfortable. It's a beautiful day to falsify your identity for the sake of not bringing shame on your entire family. Daichi feels pretty accomplished so far, but there’s still the whole day ahead of them. He should keep conversation going, so he can learn as much about Kenma as possible for Asahi’s sake.

“So, Kenma-san, what’s your favorite time of day?” At Kenma’s raised eyebrow, Daichi coughs and plows on. “I might be running out of silly first date topics, so feel free to change the subject.” He should have studied up more. Daichi hasn't been on many dates in the past, and the ones he had gone on were with people he'd already known well, so this whole situation is alien to him. Suga and Kiyoko could supply him with more conversational points, but there’s no easy way to contact them without seeming terribly suspicious. He should've called Hajime yesterday and asked what his first meeting with Ushijima had been like.

Sticking his hands in his pockets, Kenma hums for a few seconds, thinking the question over. “No, it's fine. This is the kind of stuff people talk about, right? Time of day, huh. I like the hour when evening turns into night. When there’s no trace of sunlight left, and the stars come out. It’s hard to see the stars here, but sometimes I can make out a few. What about you?”

Daichi hasn't anticipated such a precise answer, so he's somewhat at a loss, trying to come up with an response that fits Asahi. Pulling whatever comes to mind first, he says, “For me it's the opposite. I like daybreak, seeing the sun rise over the mountains. When the sky turns red and gold, and morning starts to unfold.” It isn't what Asahi himself might say, but it reminds Daichi of his brother. The brilliance, the constancy, the eventual triumph after the dark.

“So you’re a morning person. I can see it. Early to bed, early to rise?” Kenma asks. They stroll under a tree lined pathway, the leaves the fresh, crisp green of midsummer. The park is busy with people enjoying their weekend off, but there’s plenty of room around to walk without hurrying or avoiding others.

“Usually. College has a way of messing that up though. Let me guess, you prefer nights?”

“For the most part. But I fall asleep pretty quickly, so sometimes I wind up turning in early. Don’t worry, I can match my sleeping schedule to yours,” and it’s punctuated with a suggestive lift to his eyebrows.

Daichi snorts, and does his best to hide his amusement by pressing his hand to his mouth. It seems Kenma’s somewhat arch image isn’t without some substance backing it up, but it’s Daichi’s fault for flirting first and opening that door to him. “I’ll keep that in mind. For the far, far future.”

Kenma contorts his handsome face into something almost like a pout, ruining the illusion of charisma. “Booo. These are things we should learn about each other now, before it’s too late. It’s a matter of compatibility, Asahi-san.” He stresses that word, _compatibility_ , drawing out the vowels long, flowing into Asahi’s name like an overture. For some reason, Daichi gets the feeling he’s falling into a trap, but he’s not one to back down when someone puts up a challenge, so he places his hands on his hips, and turns so he’s walking down the canopied path backwards, facing Kenma.

“Really now. Alright, let’s get down to it then. Do you snore? Should the bed be firm, or soft? Do you get cold easily? I like having a thin blanket. I’ve been told that sometimes I kick in my sleep; not hard, but I don’t stay still. I hope that’s not a dealbreaker.” Asahi has a tendency to roll around a bit, but it’s Daichi who really kicks. He doesn’t know why he says it. Maybe he’s already forgetting who he’s supposed to be.

While he mentally boots himself back into gear, Kenma launches into his counterattack. “No snoring, no drooling, and no sleeptalking. Like I said, I fall asleep easily, so any bed is fine with me, as long as it’s the one I’m sharing with you. And I’m sure you’ll keep me warm enough, blanket or not, so no concerns there,” he says, deflecting each of Daichi’s jabs. “And lastly, my tender embrace, designed to placate your restless spirit, will save me from any kicks.”

He finishes by leaning in toward Daichi, who’s slowed to stop with each increasingly outrageous line. They stand like that, squaring off, with Kenma using his height to his advantage. He looms over Daichi, amber eyes glowing with mirth. Daichi angles in as well, cocking his head to better observe that shrewd face, reading a weird sincerity under his blatant facetiousness. “What if I sleep standing up? Facing the wall.” He does his best to make the possibility sound completely reasonable.

Kenma looks nonplussed for a fraction of a minute, before valiantly forging on. “I could learn how to do that. Shouldn’t be too hard.”

“I don’t use a pillow. I just kind of...rest my face...in the corner. Like so.” Daichi cups his hands together and smushes his cheek inelegantly against them, staring blankly back at Kenma, whose face flashes through several emotions. In the end, he settles on resignation.

“I...I might need a pillow. Or two. They’re pretty necessary, actually.” Kenma looks pained at the admission, and Daichi realizes why when he asks his next questions.

“Two? Do you like switch them out? Use both? Put one under your back?”

Lifting his arms up to demonstrate, Kenma mimes holding two pillows and pushes his hands in to sandwich his face. “Uh. I kind of...put my face in between and press. Like so. That’s why, y’know, the bedhead and stuff. It’s too late to break the habit now,” he admits, avoiding eye contact. “But that’s the only concession I’ll ask for,” he assures Daichi hastily. “Our compatibility is still at 99%.”

And there we go again, the seamless transition from slick to dorky to sweetly heartfelt. What makes Kenma hardest to read is that all sides come so naturally that it throws Daichi into confusion. “We don’t have to be completely compatible. Even 75% is okay. We’ll make the rest work,” he says carefully, watching for changes in Kenma’s expression.

Sure enough, there’s the slightest ease in the set of his brow, small signs of tension letting up. But his tone is still strained when he speaks. “Right. Of course. I just wanted to be sure- I wanted to dispel any misgivings you might have. I didn’t want to give you a reason to change your mind about us.” 

It’s instinct for Daichi to clap his hand to Kenma’s arm to jostle him out of his self-conscious spell, and by the time he realizes it might be too friendly of a move, Kenma already looks less stiff. “Hey, we agreed already. We’re in this together; I definitely don’t want you to undertake all the compromising by yourself. I was teasing you earlier - I don’t expect us to match perfectly. You...are too much for your own good,” Daichi decides. A bit of a wild card and a bit of a weirdo, but it's endearing in its way.

“Too much what?” Kenma asks, withdrawing from Daichi’s space so they can continue onward.

“Too much everything. But,” Daichi spins again, stepping in place next to Kenma. “It won’t be a problem. I can keep up.” People might assume Asahi would be overwhelmed, but Daichi knows it’s not true. Between purehearted, excitable Tobio, the raucous and intense personalities of Noya and Tanaka, and Daichi and Suga’s incessant heckling, Asahi’s learned to hold his own amidst his madcap family. Kenma would fit right in with their clan of oddballs.

This time, when Kenma speaks, he's wearing a lopsided grin, and the slope of his shoulders loosens so that with the slight slouch, he doesn't tower over Daichi so much. “Oho, I like that confidence. So if we’re okay on the sleeping arrangements, shall we talk life skills? See how equipped we’ll be for living on our own. Any good at cooking and cleaning? Or with computers?”

All Azumane are uniformly terrible at cooking, which Kenma deserves to know upfront. Asahi’s never managed to overcome the family curse, no matter how hard he concentrates or glares at the ingredients. “I, uh, can fry an egg sometimes? That’s about it. I actually kind of like cleaning up after myself. Gives you a sense of accomplishment and discipline, you know? Computers, I’m fine with. I mean, I’m no IT guy, but I can troubleshoot my own problems, unless a printer is involved.”

“Guess I’ll take charge of the home cooking if we ever want it.” They take a branching trail off toward the pond in the center of the park. Daichi notices that the gap between them has dwindled to less than half a meter as they wind past the white and pink flowers.

“I’ll be your dishwasher,” he offers. “I've got a strong scrubbing arm.” He waves uselessly at his biceps, which can't be seen under his suit jacket, prompting Kenma to laugh.

“Okay, so that's settled. Any other special skills I should know about? How about you tell me one thing - we can leave the rest to be a surprise for later.” He says it lowly, sneakily, like they’re sharing a secret mission among only themselves, and Daichi quiets down to match his tone, drawing the space between them even tighter.

Asahi’s skills? “Well, besides all the usual ceremonial stuff, which I’m sure you had to learn too, um, I like to draw. Doodles when I’m taking notes, that kind of thing.” Daichi has seen Asahi’s scribbles before when he used to help him with homework. They’re quite good: cute, cartoony little pictures of animals and flowers and volleyball plays. His personal favorite is a drawing he clipped out of Asahi’s notebook of Tobio and Shouyou as squabbling little birds.

“Yeah? That’s a neat hobby!” Kenma sounds genuinely enthused about it, his face lit up, half-lidded eyes almost fully open. “I suck at drawing. I mean, I can do diagrams for my schoolwork, but nothing artsy. I’d like to see them sometime, if that’s okay.”

“Sure, of course. Maybe the next time we meet.” He’ll have to tell Asahi to bring along some scrap paper and a pen for the next rendezvous. “What about you? Any hobbies?” If he had to guess, he would say something musical, or technically precise.

“I like to bake from scratch. Pies, especially. Apple is best,” he says matter-of-factly. Daichi pauses before the bridge over the pond. Pie. Not what he expected, but it’s quaint. Cute. His face must reveal how he feels, because Kenma’s mouth falls into a flat moue, looking slightly put out. “They’re good, I swear. I follow the recipe very precisely.”

“No, no, I believe you. I just didn’t think you had such nice interests.”

“What are you implying, Asahi-san?” 

“Oh, nothing, really. Really!” Daichi exclaims, when Kenma continues to pout at him. The bridge is fairly narrow, so they’re walking close enough for Daichi to take his hand, if he so desires. He tries to ignore that fact.

“I don’t buy it. I bet you think I have weird hobbies like throwing popcorn into a crowd of pigeons or knocking people’s domino displays down.”

“Those aren’t hobbies.”

“After all this, there’s still so much for us to learn about each other,” Kenma sighs, one hand clutching at his heart dramatically. “How can we fit everything we need to talk about into just one day?”

The question, although tongue-in-cheek, prompts Daichi to think of an idea. “Okay, then, put a pause on your theatrics for a sec. Let’s do a lightning round. I'll throw out a topic, and you answer, then we switch.”

“Like a speed quiz.”

“Yeah, answer as quick as you can. You ready?”

“Always,” Kenma says immediately. His pout has evaporated, leaving him looking determined instead. He’s like a quick change artist, but it isn’t a jarring transition.

“Alright!” Now to think of a question. “Which do you prefer, rice or bread?”

“Bread,” comes the answer, without hesitation. “Okay, would you rather be too hot or too cold?”

Daichi doesn’t have to think about it; Asahi hates the cold. “Definitely hot. What's something that you collect?”

Kenma stops to scrounge up an answer. “Old games, I suppose. I like to play all the games in a franchise, even ones that are way outdated. Something you buy too often?”

“Meat buns,” Daichi says without thinking, forgetting that he's supposed to be Asahi, but it's too late, and he likes the quirk at the corner of Kenma’s mouth that appears. “The worst fashion choice you’ve ever made.”

“Glittering suspenders plus short shorts,” Kenma says, looking like he's not above laughing at himself. It's a terrible mental image; Daichi hopes dearly that he can get photographic evidence from Asahi sometime. “A weird fear you have.”

“Accidentally pulling my high school vice principal’s toupee off again somehow,” and it's more Daichi’s fear than Asahi’s but his whole family was there to witness it at the school fair, so it's a shared trauma. Kenma shudders, and since the end of the bridge becomes crowded with pedestrians walking in the opposite direction, Daichi can almost feel the motion when they're standing so close. “Favorite movie genre?” he asks, staunchly marching forward.

“Action flicks and nature documentaries,” Kenma says, but he frowns right afterwards. Daichi doesn't have time to mull on that though, as another question comes his way. “Favorite sport besides volleyball?”

Huh. “Does running count?” Kenma nods, so he continues. Asahi runs, so it's fine, right? “Favorite spot to go vacationing?”

“The sea! Sand castles, swimming, beach volleyball? It's gotta be the ocean.” Kenma's expression turns sly as he asks, “Boxers or briefs?”

Ohhh, and he almost catches Daichi with that question, but like hell is Daichi going to tell Kenma what kind of underwear his little brother wears. “Yeah, you’re gonna have to wait a little longer to find that one out. Don't pout!” He elbows Kenma, which only prompts his face to fall further, but he jostles Daichi back until they're bumping each other like elementary schoolers, stumbling down the walkway toward a stone wall under a thick grove of trees. Daichi escapes a jab and scoots up onto the broad edge of the wall, sitting on the smooth, carved surface. Kenma jumps up to join him with one fluid movement, and they sit there together, watching a gaggle of teenagers running past.

Daichi turns to Kenma to ask another frivolous question, but the words stop on the tip of his tongue when he notices his companion is facing away, back toward the pond. From this angle, with the wind teasing through his hair, and his profile partly obscured, there’s a strange familiarity about him that Daichi doesn’t quite understand. When he notices Daichi looking, he tilts his head back, that facile cat’s smile back on his face, but Daichi can’t shake the feeling that something’s slipping through his memory, unretrievable. He tries for another minute to read Kenma, to try and grasp that elusive thread of knowledge, but it amounts to nothing.

“Hey, you alright?” Kenma asks, reaching out with one hand toward Daichi, who freezes still under his gaze, trying his best not to withdraw. Those long, almost elegant fingers extend toward Daichi’s cheek, so close that his skin tingles at the near contact, but they pass onward, up to his hair. With a delicate snap, Kenma plucks a seed pod free from Daichi’s hair, and places it down in the space between them. Daichi focuses his attention on it, still mostly fixed in place as Kenma takes that same hand and ruffles up his own hair. “Sorry, it was distracting me. Kind of a cliche, isn’t it? Don’t fret, I wasn’t trying to make a move on you,” Kenma says, cheeks slightly flushed, and looking anywhere but at Daichi.

It’s this transparent shyness that finally shakes Daichi out of his own stiffness, and he takes the seed pod up by the stem, twirling it between his fingers. "That’s too bad,” he says casually, watching the pod whirl. “I might have accepted if you had.” He sees Kenma’s eye grow wide in bewilderment, but continues on before he can catch his footing. “Alright, you cad, tell me...tell me something you've never told anyone else before. Something that's never been said out loud.”

Kenma looks like he might throw out a simple, glib answer, but then he steals back the seed pod, Daichi letting it slip from his grasp, and places it between his palms. One quick slide of his hands later, the pod flies away, spinning through the air off into the distance, floating past the flowers until it leaves their sight. His voice is still, almost muted when he gives Daichi his answer.

“Sometimes, I’m afraid that the things I want aren’t what _I_ want at all - that I’ve just become so used to my responsibilities that I’ve internalized it all. Accepted them as part of who I am, and not just what other people expect of me. And I don’t want that to happen with you. I know we didn’t choose each other, but I was hoping that deciding to stay together was a choice enough in itself. That it would be enough for me to say, ‘Yes, he’s the one I want.’ But I’m scared that one day, ten years down the line, I’m going to look at you and resent you for what we’ve become, and you don’t deserve that.”

His back is straight, his posture stately when he finishes his confession, and he looks back resolutely at Daichi, who swallows dryly. Kenma might indeed come to resent him for today, but it’s Daichi’s job to make sure he never feels that way about Asahi. He’s right; Asahi doesn’t deserve someone who will come to regret their relationship, but Daichi doesn’t think Kenma is that person. He knows, somehow, that Kenma would never treat Asahi that way, so it’s with a blind faith that he declares, “You won’t. You’re too kind for that. I’ll just have to trust that if you ever start feeling that way, you’ll tell me, and we’ll work it out together. 

“I’ll make a pledge right now. Fate might have brought us together, but we’re the ones who decide our futures. And I would be happy to choose you, if you’ll have me. As many times as it takes, as long as you’re willing to meet me halfway, I will promise myself to you.”

It comes out sounding stronger than he anticipated, but he doesn't backtrack on his words. He needs to mean it, for Asahi and Kenma’s sake, and that's how he justifies the conviction in his voice. This promise needs to be real. And from the way Kenma is regarding him, he thinks he's managed to convey his intentions.

“You promise? That even when I have doubts, or get anxious about us, you’ll stick by me?” Kenma is the most serious he's been all day, and Daichi knows that what he says next is immensely important.

“Yes. I promise to do my best.” His voice doesn't waver, not even in the slightest. Daichi knows his brother through and through, and although Asahi may doubt himself, he will never give up on someone else. Kenma will never have to worry about anything less than all of Asahi’s dedication.

This must be the right answer, because when Kenma thanks him, his smile glows like foxfire in the thick of the forest: luminous and mysterious, but disarmingly lovely. Daichi’s been studying Kenma for a while now, trying to read his tics and tells, but he's still thunderstruck by how Kenma’s features soften when he looks like this, causing a quickstep in Daichi’s pulse. It catches him unawares, and he doesn’t respond before Kenma speaks again.

“Sorry for making things heavy,” he says, shaking his head, slipping fluidly back into his easy, nonchalant character, and it almost _hurts_ , the way Daichi is knocked back with the acute yearning to see that smile again. Kenma gives off the impression of being inherently dark, an enigmatic, tricky air to his demeanor, but now that Daichi’s seen that radiance hidden underneath, he wants to uncover it again.

But that’s not how it should be. Kenma shouldn’t look so happy just because of him. That’s not what their relationship is. So he does the right thing. He tells Kenma that it’s no problem, that he’s glad they talked about this now, and then he tries to think of an answer to Kenma’s next question. He lets the thickness in the air clear away, falling back into his role as Asahi and tries to answer on his brother’s behalf as well as he can. 

In all twenty-four years of his life, Daichi has never been in love. Not really.

But he knows how it’s supposed to be, from Suga’s stories about how seeing his high school crush stole his breath away, and Yui’s description of how her fiancée makes her feel, overflowing with a buzzing, euphoric warmth. He knows that the heat spreading from his face to his neck whenever Kenma closes in means that he’s in trouble. He knows that the way his eyes linger on Kenma’s lips, on his jawline and the tip of his nose, and on the sprinkling of freckles that disappear under untamed strands of hair means that his defenses are growing too lax. He's courting danger, or perhaps he's just courting Kenma, but either way, if he doesn't get a grip now, it's only going to end in heartache.

Daichi has never been in love. 

But he's terrified that after today, that may no longer hold true.

\--

Before we continue, let us take one more step backwards. A quick one, to a scene we’ve seen once before, some eighteen or so years in the past.

While Asahi and Kenma wander around inside a pen, occasionally babbling a few words at each other and sharing Asahi’s stuffed toys, their parents and relatives chat on the porch of the Azumane house, laughing over shared history and discussing their children. Nekomata and Ukai are indoors, alternating between bickering over old grievances and planning the wedding of the century for the two unsuspecting toddlers outside. But Asahi and Kenma are not the only two who meet for the first time on this day.

Daichi, six years old and missing his best friends Koushi and Kiyoko, who get to go to school instead of hanging around a bunch of old people, stands in his yard alone, practicing his receives without much luck. Yui couldn’t come to play today, and Saeko-neesan, who always helps Daichi practice, wasn’t called over to babysit him since his parents are home. So he keeps training alone, hoping baby Asahi and his new friend can grow up faster so they can have enough for a team soon.

The grown-ups were nice, but they’re too busy doing grown-up things; even his great uncle, who likes to coach Daichi on how to play is too busy talking to his friend. All anyone has done since getting here an hour ago is talk talk talk, and that’s boring.

He sets himself a gentle toss, and bounces it over the shrub with his arms, but it’s not the same as receiving someone else’s spike. The ball rolls sadly away through the garden in agreement. It bumps the edge of their porch before moving on past the side of the house. Daichi runs after it, kicking through the leaves that have begun to fall, until he picks it up outside one of the sitting rooms whose sliding door has been opened.

He peeks in, expecting to see his great-uncle, but is instead met with the dazed, still sleep-ridden face of a boy his age. Surprised, he drops his ball, which catches the attention of the other boy, and they watch it roll off in silence until the other kid speaks.

“This isn't the train,” he says, yawning. His hair is really crazy, sticking up in all directions.

“Nope, this is my house,” Daichi tells him.

“Oh. Your house is nice to sleep in.”

“Thanks! You can sleep more if you want.” Daichi would prefer if he played, but the other boy still seems tired, with his half closed eyes.

“No, you look more fun than sleeping. I didn't know there was gonna be a kid like me here. I thought it was all babies and grown-ups.”

“Yeah, I was playing by myself before. It's boring. You came from Tokyo with the Nekoma people?” Daichi climbs up onto the porch and sits in the doorway, watching the boy blink slowly a few times.

The boy yawns one more time before padding over to sit next to him. “Yeah, Gramps asked if I wanted to come see Kenma’s friend, and I like riding the train. But I got tired. Hey, d’you play volleyball?” he asks, pointing at Daichi’s ball with his foot.

Daichi grabs him by the shoulder, nodding rapidly. Finally, someone he can hang out with. “Yeah! I'm an outside hitter!! Or I'm practicing to be one. I'm not on a team yet, but I play at home. Mom helps me read volleyball books so I can know a lot for when I have a team.”

The other boy nods back, patting Daichi’s hand on his shoulder. “That's really smart. I should get a book too. I like to watch the afl-athla--the players on TV to learn cool moves. Like ‘wha-bam!’” he shouts, jumping off the porch and swinging his arm downward. 

Daichi claps. That move _is_ cool. He’s not good at being flashy, but he likes to watch other people do it. “That's awesome. Let's be on a team together. My name’s Daichi. How bout you?”

“I’m Tetsurou. You can call me Tetsu if you want. Friends use nicknames, and we gotta be friends if we're on the same team. When Kenma and his friend is big they can play too,” Tetsu says confidently, with his hands on his hips.

“That's what I was thinking! Let's practice. I can be the setter first, so you can do that move again, Tetsu.” Daichi hops down to join him and runs to scoop the ball up from the ground, Tetsurou trotting after him.

“Then you can be the captain, Daichi.”

Daichi shakes his head as he does his best to set the ball for Tetsurou. “Nah, we should both be captain, since our team’s gonna be so big. There’s us and Yui, and Hajime and Hayato too. And Suga and Tooru! And you’ll bring your friends, right?”

“Duh!” Tetsurou jumps, his arms outstretched to whack the ball down, sending it over a bush. “Nobu’s strong, and there’s Tora and Yakkun. We’re gonna have the best team.” He says it as a declaration, and Daichi flashes him a thumbs up.

“The very best!!”

 

When it comes time for the Nekoma visitors to depart, Nekomata has some trouble pulling Tetsurou away from his new friend. They’re too busy running circles around each other in the yard, jumping and diving and generally making a mess of themselves as they throw the volleyball around. When everyone’s finally all gathered, Kenma asleep in his mother’s arms, Daichi accompanies them to the gate with his parents and Ukai. There, as everyone says their goodbyes, he holds out his hand to receive Tetsurou’s high five.

“I’m gonna practice ev’ryday and grow real tall so I can be the best blocker,” Tetsu vows.

Daichi beams, and high fives him again. “Good. I’m gonna train until I can receive anything. Next time, let’s play a real game, okay?”

Tetsurou nods. “Next time,” he promises, as Nekomata leads him away. He waves to Daichi from the car until they drive out of sight, and Daichi goes back inside to play with Asahi, his mind filled with everything he needs to get done before he next sees Tetsurou.

 

Unfortunately, there is no next time. Not the way they expect. Miyagi and Tokyo are not so close, and life runs its course: births, deaths, promotions and weddings, illnesses and school. Nekoma and Karasuno remain the closest they’ve been since the start, but their children don’t. Kenma and Asahi do not meet again, nor do Tetsurou and Daichi.

Not for lack of trying on destiny’s part, but sometimes even fate has a difficult path ahead. Again and again, they miss one another, like two ships that pass in the night. Tetsurou leaves the department store half an hour too late to catch Daichi’s sixth grade class walking down the street on a school trip. All the Azumane children fall victim to chicken pox two days before their father is to bring them to Tokyo with him for his business trip. The day Tetsurou and Nobu arrive at Sendai by train to visit Alisa at school, Daichi leaves by plane for Hong Kong. 

The one night Daichi finds himself in Tokyo by chance, Tetsurou exits the hotel lobby to get a breath of fresh air from the festivities of his aunt’s wedding; still dressed in the best clothes he owns at all of sixteen years old, he walks to the bus stand at the curb, and sits on the bench there, watching the colors change in the christmas lights strung on the trees across the street. At the same moment, Daichi stops in the middle of his shopping trip under those same trees next to Kiyoko, as the snowflakes begin dusting the air. When the snow starts to gather on Kiyoko’s shoulders, Daichi turns to brush the flakes from her coat, and that's what Tetsurou sees from his shelter against the flurries: a young couple, enjoying a winter date, and it fills him with a sentimental wonder at all the love that surrounds him - love that isn't yet within his grasp. He leaves his bench behind to return to the hotel, satisfied with the chill in his bones and the frost in his breath.

When Kiyoko, bundled up in the scarf Daichi lends her, points out the beautifully decorated evergreen outside the hotel across the way, Daichi’s eyes catch on the silhouette of the young man reaching up to touch a glass ornament, and he's struck by the way he looks, solitary and distant. Dark hair and a dark coat, still stretching, despite his height, to touch something beyond his reach. He's hit with the sensation that this boy is infinitely faraway, but the feeling dispels when Kiyoko steps forward, and he follows her on. Neither moment lasts more than half a minute, and soon after, both are lost in the long tide of memory. 

Time and time again, the universe brings them near, two planets orbiting the same star, but their trajectories never quite aligning. Never close enough to meet again. Not since that first perfect November afternoon, still young enough to believe that everything was possible.

Years later, Tetsurou sees his upperclassman diving for a spike that reminds him of a boy he met long, long ago. A boy with friendly eyes and a steady receive. His co-captain; he can remember that much, but not his friend’s name. He wonders where that boy is now, and if they’ll ever meet again.

Years later, as Daichi dashes out into the yard in pursuit after Hajime, who’s stolen the last cream roll again, he remembers chasing another boy through the grass. A boy with a sleek jump and straightforward confidence. Next time, they had promised. They would gather up their team and have a match. It’s too bad that their next time never came, Daichi thinks as he finally gets Hajime with a flying tackle. 

And it _is_ too bad. They probably would have become great friends. Nekoma and Karasuno’s future could have come sooner, their children growing up together in harmony. The arranged marriage might have come together naturally, two young people falling in love through years of mutual affection, instead of joining out of obligation.

But fate is steadfast, stopped by neither distance nor time. Thus, the years pass, the engagement is secured, and at the same time while kilometers apart, Kenma and Asahi sneak out of their homes in the dead of night, leaving Daichi and Tetsurou to clean up their mess. And so the wheels of fate keep turning, click by click, until their next time finally arrives.

Minute by minute, step by step, until it leads them to today.

\--

The itinerary says they have reservations at a very high end restaurant in Ginza for lunch, but Asahi frowns at the paper before tucking it back in his pocket.

"Don't like Italian?" Tetsurou asks.

Asahi's eyes widen, and he waves his hand in front of him to dispel the misconception. "Oh, no it's nothing like that. I was just thinking that it seems kind of stuffy for lunch. It's just all so...luxurious. I know with people of our standing this is how things are done, but do we always need to be this extravagant? But don't mind me. We should head over there or we'll be behind schedule. I can call my chauffeur over to meet us." He smiles wanly at Tetsurou and takes out his phone.

It's so Kenma-like that it makes Tetsurou pause. Kenma also hates all the upper crust shit they have to attend to uphold their family image. He's terrible at schmoozing, barely talks to anyone outside of the family or Bokuto, and does his best to stare a hole through the table at meals like this. Whenever there's a gala, he can only stand ten minutes of socializing before fleeing to an unused room to sit in the corner and play on whatever mobile device he's managed to smuggle in. With Asahi, this issue would be exacerbated: both of them taking off to hide somewhere together. But Asahi's diplomatic in a way Kenma isn't, seemingly capable of networking if it's called for, even if he wants to escape. He could be trusted to rein Kenma in long enough to keep up appearances, but to help him take off early if Kenma really gets restless. He would challenge Kenma where needed, but support him whenever it counted; from what Tetsurou can tell of his humor, he and Kenma would probably take quickly to light-hearted banter between the two of them once Kenma has opened up enough to let Asahi in. They would be the calm, grounded couple of the clan, the kind that can weather any coming storms and unseen tribulations. Somehow, Asahi already feels like he’ll fit in fine with Nekoma.

Tetsurou's responsible half thinks he shouldn't rock the boat anymore than he already is. If their families want them to sit and make awkward small talk over ridiculously priced Italian fusion, then they probably should. But the other half, the half that enjoys partying with Bokuto and sneaking out of functions with Kenma and Tora and the Haibas to go play makeshift volleyball in the gardens thinks Asahi has a point. Asahi and Kenma are supposed to be getting to know one another, and when it's all dressed up in social niceties, there's just that much more distance between them. Just because a marriage is arranged doesn't mean it has to be inorganic. When Kenma finally does meet Asahi, he'll appreciate that they have similar tastes and temperaments, so Tetsurou decides. If Asahi wants to change their plans for today, he's all for it. And, he suddenly realizes, someone at that restaurant might recognize him, so this is the safer choice, as well.

"To be honest, I'm not really feeling it either," he says, placing his hand on Asahi's wrist, delaying him from making the call. "Let's skip out. Go somewhere else."

Asahi glances quickly at Tetsurou's hand, before he looks back at his face, surprise flitting through his expression. "Are you sure? I'm really okay with it, even if I complain about all the rigmarole."

"Yeah, I mean it. We have the rest of our lives to sit in fancy restaurants full of people we're forced to make nice with. Today's just about us." He feels embarrassed after saying it, but even if it sounds cheesy, it's true. That doesn't stop the hint of blush setting into his cheeks, though.

Asahi blinks once, slowly, those dark eyelashes catching Tetsurou's attention as they obscure his warm eyes for a second. A smile settles on his lips, so natural that it leaves the impression that this is what he usually looks like. It makes Tetsurou want to trust him, this boy who promises his best for Kenma, who shines of integrity and an unshakable fortitude.

"Okay, then. Let's choose somewhere together. Do you have any recommendations?"

"No, I don't know this neighborhood that well, but I'm sure we can find something." When Asahi nods, Tetsurou realizes he still has his fingers resting on his hand, and withdraws, ducking his head in apology. They share an awkward look before stepping apart. Tetsurou gestures down the street, and they begin walking, falling back into step together after a few meters of being out of sync. He shouldn’t be so careless, but it feels natural to shorten the distance between them. 

They pass a few small restaurants along the way, but many are too crowded to talk comfortably without having to raise their voices. They continue on, until Tetsurou notices a ramen shop that's not too busy and stops.

"How about here? You like tonkotsu ramen, don't you?"

"I'm impressed you remember," Asahi says, stopping next to him to peek in through the window.

While Asahi scans the menu, Tetsurou watches the people on the street around them. He wonders what they look like to others. Two coworkers? Friends? Do they read Tetsurou’s relaxed posture and their close proximity and think something else? Would they think the same thing if Kenma were here, in his rightful place? He sees a couple sitting at the cafe across the street: two young women, holding hands as one takes a bite of her pastry and the other watches her, laughing. Everything about the space around them speaks to them being lovers, from the way their bodies are tilted toward each other, to the multiples points of contact at their linked hands and their knees pressed together. 

Will Asahi and Kenma ever reach that point? Asahi is kind, and Tetsurou can read a persistence in him that'll be helpful for keeping up with Kenma's reticence and anxiety, but he knows Kenma can be difficult to understand. Even becoming friends would be a good first step. There's a trio of highschoolers walking by, one quieter than the rest, but they still turn to include him in the conversation, draw him into their antics. That's what Tetsurou hopes Kenma can have. Someone who will be constant, who won't give up on him. Perhaps like those two men peering into the shops, the brunet trying to pull his spiky-haired friend from entering the store, not giving in no matter how much his companion pleads.

Tetsurou's eyes widen. He recognizes that gray hair and those odd eyebrows. That's Bokuto Koutarou, heir to a multi-million dollar corporation and Tetsurou’s favorite fellow rich kid. Bokuto, who knows exactly who he is, and who very much knows that he isn't Kenma. Shit. He glances at Asahi, who's still absorbed in reading the menu outside the restaurant, biting his lip as he looks through the options. Tetsurou knows it's only a matter of minutes before Bokuto gets close enough to notice them, and then it'll be game over. He has to act quickly if he doesn't want his charade to fall apart.

So he grabs Asahi's hand and runs.

To Asahi's credit, he doesn't struggle; he allows Tetsurou to drag him along, keeping pace with him as they wind past pedestrians, flying in the direction opposite of Bokuto. Tetsurou chances a look at him: there are two pink spots high on his cheeks from the sudden exertion, and when he glances to the right and meets Tetsurou's eyes, his expression is surprised, but light. He looks unexpectedly vivacious; meanwhile, Tetsurou feels like something’s become lodged at the back of his throat. Swallowing doesn’t alleviate the sensation.

"Kenma-san, I did say that I enjoy running, but why are we doing it _now_?" He sounds slightly exasperated, but not like he minds that much. In fact, he turns his arm and re-slots his hand against Tetsurou's so their hold is more comfortable as they continue to barrel down the sidewalk. His skin isn’t especially soft, but there’s actually a comfort in the way the rough patches feel against Tetsurou’s palm.

"Thought you might like some light exercise before lunch. Something to get your appetite going?"

“I don't know if you could call it light when-whoa! Watch out!” Asahi tugs Tetsurou toward him to prevent a collision with an older man who’s staring at the ground as he walks. For the length of several strides, he's basically pressed arm to arm against Asahi at a weird angle, but his solid build effortlessly keeps Tetsurou afloat until they can safely separate again. “Oof. I didn't expect this level of excitement from today,” Asahi says.

“Get used to it. It’s always this exciting when I’m around. Nonstop thrills.”

“Dear God. We should break up then. That sounds exhausting.”

“No, it’s exhilarating. Every moment you spend with me will be like a dream. A world of endless delight and merriment. And thrills.”

“Please, no more thrills.”

“For you, I’m willing to tone it down.” Tetsurou’s starting to feel the familiar burn in his calves from running so hard; it’s been a while since he’s last exerted this much energy so suddenly, but it’s kind of invigorating.

"I don't often exercise in my best suit, and I'm starting to understand why." Asahi pulls at his lapels, trying to air out his jacket a little bit, before going to loosen his tie.

Tetsurou doesn't allow his eyes to linger on the glimpse of skin that's revealed when Asahi undoes his first button. "Aw, you wore your best suit to meet me? That's sweet."

"Of course I did. We are getting married, eventually. I wanted to make a good first impression." Asahi's gaze flickers downwards away from Tetsurou's face, and he looks suddenly bashful. Soft, in a way Tetsurou hadn't anticipated, considering his dry humor and sturdy, earthy appearance; it makes Tetsurou want to pull him in closer and see how soft he really is. He feels his breath stutter a beat, and an involuntary flash of jealousy toward Kenma, for the privilege of having Asahi’s companionship, if not eventually his heart. Contrition instantly follows.

This is Kenma's future husband. Tetsurou has no right to feel this way, to zone in on the tingling in his palm where Asahi's hand is pressed to his, or to notice the dimple on his cheek and the strong cut of his jaw. Even if Asahi wore his best suit today, even when he laughs at Tetsurou's jokes, or if he blushes when Tetsurou stands a step too close, it's meaningless. None of it will ever be meant for him. It would be extraordinarily stupid to develop a crush on his best friend's fiancé, and Tetsurou's made his fair share of mistakes, but this isn't going to be one of them.

Even if Asahi thinks he could be content marrying Tetsurou, it’s all still a lie. They’re not meant to be. Destiny has other plans; Tetsurou’s presence here today is just a hiccup in Asahi and Kenma’s story. 

He's just playing the part. Charm the mark, put on a good show, and buy time until Kenma can be found. He's doing this for the family. That's it.

"Well, you did a good job," he says, after taking a breath to clear his head. "Even if you weren't who I was supposed to be meeting today, I would've found myself looking at you more than once. You're very striking."

Asahi's shyness evaporates in favor of a wry look. "You know you don't have to bother acting smooth with me, right? I don't need to be won over." Their run has slowed to a jog as the streets become more crowded.

Tetsurou pouts, as they taper off into a brisk walk. "Just because our future is already fixed in place doesn't mean things have to be boring. They're going to expect us to have our courtship, even if it's all for show. So we might as well have some fun with it." They're still holding hands, and Tetsurou should let go - he really, really should, but Asahi's grip is firm, and it seems like it would be insulting to shake him off at a time like this, so he continues holding on.

"You’re just not ready to give up flirting yet, you rake," Asahi tuts, but entertained despite himself. "You seem like the wild type. I bet people flock to you if you so much as smirk."

"Not true at all. I've never thought of anyone but you. How could I ignore our engagement?" It's a line, of course, since unlike many of his cousins, Tetsurou's never been considered for a contracted marriage, but if in another universe Asahi had been _his_ fiancé, he thinks it would have been true. He wouldn't have dated around if Asahi had been waiting on him. He would have been constant. Devoted.

Tetsurou's always been pretty sharp with reading other people, and after the quick flash of happiness, a shroud of guilt settles over Asahi's face. Ah. It seems that the same doesn't hold true for him. Tetsurou wonders how many people he's dated until the engagement was finalized, and feels a slight surge of indignant protectiveness over Kenma.

"Thank you, but I have to tell you, that, uh. I've dated other people before. Just two, back in high school, but. I thought you should know. I don't want to hide anything from you." He doesn't look away: the guilt has disappeared, replaced with an earnest desire for Tetsurou to understand. "I won't say they didn't mean anything to me, but I do want to say that from here on out, _you_ are the person I'm sharing my future with. From now until the end. I will not be disloyal to you," Asahi tells him, firm in both his stance and his tone. It must have been difficult, Tetsurou realizes, for him to have tried to live as a regular teenager, falling in and out of love with his arranged marriage always looming not too far off. Kenma and Asahi are still fairly young, and Tetsurou still remembers what it was like to be eighteen, with the sudden weight of infatuation affecting all his decisions. He can't fault Asahi for having done the same, when even now, Tetsurou’s own feelings are so out of control.

"I understand. Thanks for telling me. I promise the same; as long as we're together, you're the only person for me," Tetsurou responds quietly, pretending he's speaking for Kenma and not himself. What he said earlier, about choosing Asahi for his own, about their future together being something he wanted to want - he can’t dwell on how much of himself he put inside that secret. He needs to stop letting ‘Tetsurou’ bleed out into his persona when he’s supposed to be ‘Kenma’.

Asahi stares at him for another beat, but he nods, and the moment is broken. "I'm actually kind of hungry now; want to just go to the next place we find?" Tetsurou offers, trying to lighten the mood again.

"That's fine with me," Asahi says, and he sounds so relieved that Tetsurou's glad he's found some peace of mind from his confession, even as Tetsurou is growing more troubled by his own emotions as the day progresses.

\--

At the same time Daichi and Tetsurou are fleeing from the heir of the Fukurodani group, Kozume Kenma's train finally arrives at Sendai Station. Kenma disembarks warily, dragging his luggage behind him. He eyes the crowds of people flowing in and out of the station and walks along the wall, trying his best to avoid everyone as he makes his way outside. When he finally emerges, he goes to sit by a shrubbery until his host arrives, but he's barely waiting a minute before he sees a flash of orange hair accompanied by a blur of motion.

"Kenmaaaa! Over here!" Ukai Shouyou yells, waving his arms wildly, and Kenma smiles, raising his own hand to wave back placidly at his friend. Shouyou runs over, his assistant jogging after him, desperately trying to keep up. When he reaches Kenma he grabs him in a hug, which Kenma returns gently. "Are you hungry? Did you eat before you leave? How was the ride? Did you get a window seat?"

"Shouyou-san, please slow down! Kozume-san is going to be overwhelmed," Shouyou's assistant says, her blond hair bobbing when she makes a hasty bow toward Kenma.

"It's alright. I'm a little bit hungry. I forgot to pack snacks, but the ride was nice. I was next to a window, but I was too busy with a boss fight to look outside," Kenma responds, watching Shouyou nod excitedly at every answer. "I'm glad to see you again, Shouyou."

"Me too!" Shouyou beams, his natural brightness blinding. He tugs Kenma along over to the car where the chauffeur is waiting. "This is so cool; you should visit all the time - there's no one around today except Tobio, and you'd probably be scared of him anyway."

"Maybe next time," Kenma agrees as he gets into the back seat with the other two. "Remember, today I'm in hiding."

Shouyou jolts, and shrinks down in his seat, pulling Kenma and his assistant down with him. "Right, right, I forgot. Sorry! Don't worry, we're gonna go somewhere no one would ever think to look for you. And you can trust Yachi; she's the best." Yachi blushes, but stares back at Kenma with determination, giving him a thumbs up.

"Okay, I'll go wherever you believe is best. Thanks again for helping me."

"No problem! I mean, Keishin-niisama's going to be pretty pissed off when he finds out," Shouyou says, tugging at his hair, slightly abashed. "But, you know, I really don't think Asahi-nii wants to go through with the marriage either. It's just a feeling I got the last time we talked about it." He shrugs.

Kenma blinks at him, digesting the words. He doesn't know what to make of that. It's not like he expected his fiancé to be in love with him; they've never met, after all. This is just a marriage of convenience, a marriage to strengthen their two clans. People have been doing this for years, with less on the line. But if neither he nor Asahi want this marriage, he can't help but wonder: why did it have to be the two of them? He knows he doesn't really have the right to complain. He's led a charmed life, and many of his cousins before him have gone through the same exact situation without kicking up a fuss.

But. He's just not sure he can go through with this. He doesn’t think he can ever go through with _any_ marriage.

"Oh! I forgot to ask; who did you stay with yesterday? Didn't your family look for you?" Shouyou asks.

"I'm sure they did, which is why I had to leave today in case they found me. I stayed with an acquaintance of the Nekoma family." The vague hint of surprise in Akaashi Keiji's voice when he answered Kenma's call was the only thing that betrayed his shock at being asked for this favor; he had allowed Kenma to stay over as long as he didn't do anything to disturb his young master's studying. Apparently he'd been trying to get Bokuto to study all Friday afternoon to no avail, and had finally managed by the time Kenma stopped by the Fukurodani compound.

"Hm, I don't really know any of the Fukurodani. Kei does. We're actually going to his place now; everyone in the Tsukishima house is out of town for the next week, and there's no reason I'd ever visit Kei for fun, even if anyone catches on that you might be with me." Shouyou makes a face at the thought of hanging out with his cousin.

They arrive at the Tsukishima residence after about half an hour of driving. The chauffeur drops them off and Shouyou lets them in with a spare key. As expected, the house is almost empty save for a few servants who bow to Shouyou and scurry out of their way when he greets them and waves off their offers of assistance. Kenma rolls his small suitcase into the spare room he's led to, and sits crosslegged on the floor with Shouyou while Yachi goes to fetch them some refreshments. He's about to begin unpacking a few of his belongings when they hear a ruckus elsewhere in the house.

"Saeko-san? What are you doing here?" a voice says.

"Ah, Kazu! Great, go help Yuu and Ryu with Asahi-san's things. He's going to be staying here for a little while, okay? I'm gonna go park the car a little better," a woman responds, her voice loud and upbeat.

"No, wait, Saeko-san!"

Kenma, who had relaxed slightly due to Shouyou's presence, even though in an unfamiliar house, tenses again at the conversation. Wordlessly, he and Shouyou turn to stare at each other in dread, even as the sound of people moving luggage in through the doorway reaches their ears.

Asahi is here. Kenma's fiancé is here, in the exact place Kenma had fled to in order to avoid him.

\--

After taking another bite of curry, Daichi watches Kenma as he chews, observing the way he dabs his slice of tonkatsu into the sauce carefully, before placing it on his rice. It's oddly precise, but then he follows it by vacuuming the meat up into his mouth with a large mound of rice, swallowing long before he's chewed through everything properly. It's such a weird juxtaposition of speed that it causes Daichi to almost choke as he laughs. Kenma freezes to watch in concern as Daichi finishes cough-laughing, putting his chopsticks down, about to go help him, but Daichi shakes his head rapidly.

"I'm good. Ignore that. Nothing wrong here."

Kenma raises a thin eyebrow, still not eating yet. "I'm pretty sure you were laughing at me, which is very wrong, actually. How hurtful." His crooked smile is back, and it makes Daichi feel strange and hollow even though he's already eaten half his lunch.

"What? Laugh at you? I wouldn't do that. I'm an even-tempered, well-bred young man." Daichi shakes his head again and shovels more rice into his mouth to fill up that empty, squiggly feeling.

"You are a liar, is what you are, Azumane Asahi. And it's kind of endearing. I was thinking you were _too much_ of a nice, responsible boy, but you belong down here in the garbage heap with the rest of us," Kenma crows. 

"Please, I know you Nekoma are the most genteel of us all. We Karasuno look like mobsters in comparison."

"That's why people assume you're a bully, isn't it? Your siblings and cousins make you look bad by association," he says knowingly, and Daichi laughs, unable to defend his hooligan family.

“You better start getting used to it too. This is what you’re marrying into.” Daichi goes back to eating his curry, glad that Kenma doesn’t seem to have taken offense to the fact that Asahi’s dated before. Maybe he’ll be as understanding when he comes to learn what Daichi’s done. He hopes they can get along as brothers-in-law, and that it’ll only be 80% awkward that Daichi spent an entire day flirting with him before he’s even met Asahi. It’ll be fine. Hopefully.

“So, what was the deal with the gym shorts story?” Kenma asks, leaning on one arm to watch him.

Right, the gym shorts story. It had come up in a round of their flash question game; Daichi had given him the basic gist, but not all the humiliating details. Now’s a good a time as any to tell it, and conveniently, it’s a story where both Asahi and Daichi fared a similar fate, so it won’t be too hard to fudge the specifics.

Daichi places his spoon back down, after finishing the last of his curry, and gulps down most of his water before beginning. “Alright, so like I said, I was at the amusement park with the family - _a lot_ of the family, mind you. Shouyou, he’s an Ukai - you might have met his grandfather before, I’m not sure - anyway, he wants to go on the ferris wheel ‘cause he likes being up high, which means of course Tobio’s going too, because somehow it’s turned into a challenge, and then Kei can’t keep his mouth shut, and Tanaka’s talking smack. It’s a mess, but we agree those of us who don't want to go to the haunted ride will do the Ferris wheel together. So we pile in; it takes a few different carriages, but we all get on. I’m with Noya and Yacchan, they work for Karasuno, while Shouyou’s in the next car over with Tadashi and Tanaka and Natsu; that’s the important part. We start ascending, but just as the top car - my brothers are in that one - gets to the top, things start going south.”

It’s a little weird to tell it from Asahi’s point of view, but neither of them are really integral to the story, and he’s relayed this tale enough times to adjust accordingly without much difficulty. He watches Kenma as he talks, taking in the way he has a habit of nodding along as he listens, fluffy hair bouncing up and down with each movement. As he starts building to the climax, with Shouyou and Tanaka almost knocking Tadashi out of the ferris wheel car, and Yui opening up her bag for the first time, Kenma’s grip on the edge of the table tightening and his mouth parting slightly in horror. It’s like a game, guessing when and where in the story Kenma’s expression will change. The twitch in his eyelid when Kinoshita arrives with his two sticks of cotton candy, ready to dive into the fray; the way his fingers rake across the surface of the table nervously when Kiyoko manages to get the ride operator to halt the wheel; and the tilt of his head relaxing back into his hand when Daichi describes Asahi/himself stumbling out and collapsing to the ground in joy.

“...so Yui throws the first the thing she finds over to Suga, but of course it’s Noya’s special gym shorts, with the four-character idiom emblazoned right on the front. ‘A sharp stick points out.’ You should’ve seen Suga’s face, it was- I can’t even describe it. His nose and tongue do this thing, and his hands curl up like this,” Daichi imitates Suga’s disgusted face as best he can. “Like he was the one about to throw up, instead of Shouyou.”

“No,” Kenma breathes, shoulders hunched over at this point, leaning in toward Daichi. “That motto...I can’t fucking believe it. He wears it?? In public?”

“Not in public; Kiyoko forbade it. But he wears it at home whenever he exercises, and that’s enough for me. Anyway, with the shorts in hand, Suga heads into the blast zone with Ennoshita, while the rest of us wait it out. But remember, Daichi let Tobio and Kei go earlier, and that's what eventually does them in.”

He needs to use his hands to really demonstrate what happens at the story’s conclusion, one to represent Kei, one to represent Tanaka, and a napkin taking the starring role as Noya’s shorts. It's extremely silly, but Kenma stares with rapt attention, so Daichi finally brings it all to a close, wrapping up on the final shot of Kei’s fallen body, flopped over Shouyou with the infamous shorts draped over his head.

“...yeah, so that's how we got lifetime banned from the park,” Daichi finishes. Kenma’s doubled over, still laughing up a riot ever since the final reveal. It's a charmingly obnoxious sound.

“So it's true,” Kenma says finally, wiping away the tears at the corner of his eye. “All the Karasuno are delinquents. Even you.” He’s still sitting with his head propped up on his hand, leaning on his elbow. Just several hours ago, they were both sitting with perfect posture in the hotel cafe, and already Kenma feels comfortable enough to relax around him. A swell of pride rises in Daichi’s chest.

“I told you already, I’m the nice one,” he tsks, ignoring the tiny, buoyant ripples of happiness that are fighting to make themselves visible on his face.

“Ah, I’m not so sure about that anymore.”

“Don’t make me prove it,” Daichi warns, shaking his fist. 

Kenma puts his hands up in surrender, looking not at all contrite. “Okay, okay, I got it. You’re the bleeding heart of the family, Tobio’s the troublemaker, and Daichi’s the one who suffers. Did I get that right?”

Suffering: that does seem to be the case on many occasions, but Daichi wouldn’t trade his ridiculous family away for anyone. “Close enough,” he says fondly, trying not to worry about where Asahi is currently. At least Tanaka and Noya are with him, though it’s debatable whether they cause more issues than they prevent. “What about your family? Who do I need to be prepared for? You’ve got a lot of older cousins, right?” he asks Kenma. He remembers a few of their names: Nobuyuki, Alisa, Tetsurou, Taketora.

“You should be prepared for all of them,” Kenma says with a grin. “Maybe not Nobu. He’s the dependable, kind-hearted type. And Yuuki; he’s a good kid. The rest are all troublesome. Lev’s always running wild; only Yaku and Alisa can keep him reined in. Tora really brings the noise, especially when his fiancé is around too. Akane’s sweet, but she takes after her older brother in more ways than one. And Tetsurou...well.” Scratching at his cheek, Kenma deliberates on his next words, mouth pursed. “Kuro’s my best friend, but he can rub people the wrong way. I hope you two can get along.”

“If he’s your best friend, I’m sure we will,” Daichi assures him. Overhead, a fleet of iceberg shaped clouds floats through the sky, the sun still hanging high. It’s early afternoon, and they’re not slated to part until four, but he’s afraid he’s starting to lose sight of the finish line. It shouldn’t _really_ matter whether Daichi gets along with Asahi’s future in-laws, but...he hopes he does too. Hopes he likes Kenma’s family and that Kenma likes his. That Kenma will still like _him_ , after all the fallout.

“I guess we’ll see soon enough. They’ll want us to do a whole meet the family thing eventually.” For some reason, Kenma seems unusually tense in comparison to how he’d been several minutes ago. Maybe it’s the subject of his family that has him on edge; Daichi shifts the topic.

“We’ll have to give each other the clan crash course before then. But put that all aside for now. I need to know more about the time you got trapped on a balcony? There’s a story there,” he says, cajoling, waiting to see if the tension in Kenma’s shoulders lessens. 

At the mention of the balcony, Kenma does chuckle, slouching slightly again. “Yeah, when I was twelve, we were at my aunt’s wedding reception, and I ran away from the party to play Final Fantasy by myself back in the hotel room I was sharing with my parents. But I’d forgotten my keycard, and I knew I couldn’t just sit in the hallway, so I hovered around, hoping someone I knew would be exiting their room sometime soon…”

When Kenma tells a story, his features speak as much as his mouth does, to anyone who knows to look. Each twist is accompanied by a change in his expression, which is equally captivating to Daichi as the tale itself. From serious to sly to shameless to stubborn: Kenma gives off the impression of being capricious without ever showing any actual caprice. Every facet is real, hidden in plain sight behind shrewd eyes and a persistent half-smirk, but now that Daichi sees through the front, it seems so obvious. He’s so taken in that he doesn’t notice until most of the way through that there’s a creeping sense of contentment settling in his chest again, slowly filling up his heart, his lungs, every artery and vein. If he weren’t in trouble before, he’s certainly done for now.

The night Yui returned home after finally exchanging engagement rings with her betrothed, Daichi had been babysitting Tadashi at the Shimada house. After putting Tadashi to bed, he had curled up on the couch next to her, admiring her ring and listening to her recount her night, from the beginning of the date all the way to the kiss goodnight.

“Whenever I first see her, it’s like I’m in free-fall, helpless, and there’s nothing I can do but close my eyes and accept it: I love her, I love her, _I love her_. But when we spend time together, it becomes...simpler. Less scary. Like I was caught in a riptide, but learned how to let go and find my way back to shore,” Yui had said, her knees pushed up against his. “It feels as if- as if I’m coming home to her. It might not be like this for you, Daichi, but when it happens, I think you’ll know.” She had rapped her knuckles against his temple, before explaining, 

“Sometimes, you don’t _fall_ in love, you kind of just find yourself already there. You’re already home.”

Today, here at this patio table outside a curry restaurant watching Kenma explain how his cousin fashioned a rope made of bedsheets to swing him to another balcony, Daichi thinks he finally understands what Yui meant.

In another life, Daichi could see himself falling for Kenma. Not in this universe, obviously. But if Daichi had been born a few years later, or if they had gone to the same university, or if their families had joined together more often, giving them a chance to meet before today, somehow, then…

If things had been a little bit different, then yes, Daichi could have fallen in love with Kenma.

But they’re not, and so he won’t. Because as much as he _could_ love Kenma, he cherishes Asahi that much more. Daichi will never put some selfish, fleeting desire before his siblings’ happiness. He gives Asahi hell, but he loves him more than words can express, his brave, enduring brother with a glass heart and gentle spirit.

This is just a fleeting crush, a slip of folly because Kenma is charming and engaging, and treats Daichi like he’s special. A flash of near-lunacy, too slow-burning to be called a coup de foudre, but it’s starting to feel like it might be, with the way Kenma looks at him like they could mean something to each other. It’s only because he doesn’t know that Daichi is just Asahi’s plain, boring older brother. Kenma thinks he’ll be coming home to Daichi, and in that other, magical universe, Daichi would let him; Daichi would be happy to welcome Kenma home, but _this_ Kenma, in _this_ universe, can never be his. 

There are always more chances to fall in love, but the first time only happens once. Daichi can’t let this be his first love. He can't be forever haunted by the could-have-beens and his own yearning heart every time he sees Kenma hereafter.

So he doesn't fall. Doesn't stumble into the riptide; doesn't find his way back to shore. He takes his feelings, and he drowns them, holding his breath until it burns, and lets each dying piece of his infatuation fade with each breath in, each breath out.

“...thank god Yaku was there, because Kuro’s not strong enough to catch me by himself. They put me down and we hurried back in before any of us could catch pneumonia, though Kuro was close since he’d already gone outside a few times that night. That's the last time I ever try something like that again,” Kenma says, shivering at the end to drive his point home.

“The lesson here is that none of us should be allowed in high places,” Daichi says, smiling normally, speaking normally, not in love. Never in love.

“That does seem to be the moral,” Kenma agrees, looking sideways at Daichi again with that feline smile, but he can handle this. It's fine.

“It might be fine for a clan of cats like you, but it's a little embarrassing for a murder of crows, don't you think?” he replies, and Kenma lets out a burst of that raucous laugh again. He lifts his head to slide forward toward Daichi, getting ready to say something when a shout from a few meters away catches them off guard.

"Hey hey hey!! Over here! Yeah, you two lovebirds, I’m talking to you!”

\--

Tsukishima Kei isn't very particular about a lot of things, but there is one thing he can't stand, which is the presence of noisy, wild, childish people crowding up his spaces and causing a mess of his life with their dumb theatrics and unnecessary hot-bloodedness.

Tsukishima Kei would be having a hernia if he knew what was happening at his dining table at the same time Daichi and Tetsurou were sitting down to have lunch.

Azumane Asahi sits, utterly frozen, with his gaze fixed somewhere on the far wall behind his fiancé as his cousin and his valet yell at each other.

"But why did you come _here_? This is our hiding spot! You should've just stayed at Tanaka-senpai's house!" Shouyou is fluttering by Kenma's side, bouncing on the balls of his feet in agitation.

"Don't be silly! That's exactly where they expect us to be! And no one expects us to be here, which is exactly why we are!" Noya yells back. He has one hand placed on the back of Asahi’s chair protectively, the other splayed on his chest as he bellows.

"And don't think it makes me happy you're calling me senpai, you traitor!" Tanaka shouts, but he's trying very hard not to preen. In the kitchen, Yacchan dashes around trying to boil soup while pretending she’s not listening in.

"But no one expects _us_ to be here, either! And now we're both here and nobody avoided anybody after all!" Shouyou is bouncing so far at this point that he could leap over a chair without much issue on the next ascent.

From the corner of Asahi's eye, he sees Kenma twitch ever so slightly, raising his line of sight from the spot he was staring at so intently until he's almost looking at Asahi. Almost. He too chooses to stare off into space, so that their eyes don't meet, but when he speaks, Asahi knows the question is directed at him.

"If you're here, and I'm here...and no one's called off the engagement..." Kenma says, trailing off, and Asahi gulps.

His throat is bone dry when he first tries to respond, so he takes a shaky gulp of the water Yachi left for him before coughing out, "Then who's at the meeting in Tokyo?" Outside, unbeknownst to everyone in the room, a key is inserted into the lock of the Tsukishima house’s front door. A key belonging to someone who shouldn't be home yet.

Inside, for the first time in over fifteen years, Asahi and Kenma finally make eye contact again, and they realize in that moment they're sharing the same exact thought.

_What the hell have we gotten ourselves into?_

\--

Akaashi suspected that taking Kenma in yesterday was going to be a bad decision in the long run, but he thought he wouldn’t come to regret it for a week, at least. But with Koutarou-san actually buckling down to finish all his studying, the family had acquiesced to letting him out for one day, and of course with Akaashi's luck they run straight into the worst possible duo. He knew that Kenma was hiding from some responsibility or another, as he'd also known about his long-standing betrothal, but he hadn't put the pieces all together until now.

Koutarou's leaning against the table where Kuroo Tetsurou is standing, presumably pretending to be his cousin and faking his way through a first date with a member of the Karasuno clan. It doesn't seem to be progressing too badly, from the way they'd been looking at each other, but Kuroo clearly hadn't accounted for running into one of his best (and most meddlesome) friends.

"Bokuto! What are you doing here." Kuroo's question doesn't sound like a question. To Akaashi, it sounds a lot like he's saying 'Please go the fuck away before you screw up my devious plan.' But Koutarou, despite sensing something off about his friend, never can contain his excitement about seeing people. 

"I'm enjoying my sole day of freedom before Akaashi chains me to my desk again! Never thought I'd run into you, though."

"Koutarou-san. We need to leave now." Akaashi tries again, tapping his charge on the shoulder. Across the table, Kuroo is glaring daggers at him, and he nods in acknowledgement of the threat.

"Aw, Akaashi, I just wanted to say hi to Kur-"

" _Kozume_ ," Kuroo spits out as his companion looks between the three of them in confusion. Koutarou tilts his head at Kuroo's weird outburst, but gamely plays along, as they tend to do for each other whenever they're getting up to shenanigans.

"...okaaay, I wanted to say hi to 'Kozume' and his buddy here! We never see each other anymore! Is it 'cause you're too busy hanging out with this guy?! You should introduce me! I'm Bokuto Koutarou, of the Fukurodani group. Sorry, uh, if we've met before and I've forgotten your face."

Kuroo's companion smiles at Koutarou, but Akaashi notices an uneasiness in his stance when he stands up. "No, I don't believe we've ever met, Bokuto-san. I'm sorry for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Azumane Asahi. I am Kenma-san's fiancé." He and Koutarou bow at one another, but Koutarou looks more puzzled if anything.

"Oh yeah, the engagement! But if you're Ke-" Kuroo cuts in before Koutarou can say anything more.

"Look, Bo, I appreciate it, I really do, but Asahi-san and I are in the middle of _our engagement meeting_ here, so maybe we could catch up later?"

Koutarou blinks back twice, glancing at Kuroo's apparent fiancé with a frown. Akaashi internally braces himself; here it comes. "But I thought Kenma was the- wait. But yesterday, he came- oh, shit. Oh. My God." His mouth opens and closes a few times, before he whirls on Akaashi. "You knew! This is- and he was here, but you _knew_. Holy _shit_."

"Well, I didn't know _this_ would happen," Akaashi replies. Kuroo looks even more murderous than before. Koutarou-san needs to be removed from this situation before Nekoma's deception crumbles down around them, so Akaashi begins by grabbing his shoulder and attempting to steer him toward the street, but a harried young man with silver hair jogs over before they can get away. Azumane stares at him in surprise.

"Suga? What's going on?"

Suga bows apologetically, his gaze flickering between his employer and the others. "I'm very sorry to interrupt, Asahi-san, Kozume-san, but. Um. Akiteru-sama came home early."

This doesn't seem to hold any immediate meaning to Azumane, Akaashi notes. He stares back blankly, before asking, "I'm sorry, Suga, but I don't understand why you needed to tell me this now. I mean, I know he wasn't supposed to return until next Wednesday, but..."

Suga winces, and coughs once as he tries to figure out how best to break his news. "Akiteru-sama returned to the Tsukishima house to find your younger brother there, _Asahi-san_."

Now _that_ causes Azumane to blanch. Interesting. But Suga isn't done.

"And he wasn't alone. He had several companions with him." After this, he pauses to glance at Kuroo, staring right through him, almost, before he delivers the rest of his news. "Among them were the usual suspects, but your cousin Shouyou-san was there too. As well as one other young man. One Kozume Kenma."

The silence that follows is crushing.

"HOLY. _SHIT_." Koutarou shouts, shattering the calm before the storm. It's clear that Azumane is thinking the same thing, but he's turned all his attention on Kuroo, so Akaashi takes the chance to drag his young master away while he's pliant. "Uh, we'll see you around when you've figured this out! Call me!!" Koutarou yells as he stumbles after Akaashi, who's power-walking off. Their hands are clean of any mishap this time around, but hell if he's going to let Koutarou make an already awkward situation worse. Time for some yakiniku-based bribery. 

 

Meanwhile, Tetsurou's completely fucked, what else is new. He thinks he could still salvage this, somehow, if he could scrounge up the perfect lie, but faced with Asahi staring at him like that, eyes wide and stricken by Tetsurou's betrayal, he can't come up with anything. For once, even he is at a loss for words. “Asahi-san, please. Let me explain," is all he can manage, extending his arm in a weak attempt to placate him. Looks like it's time to pull out Yaku’s excuse for Kenma's absence, but first, he'll let Asahi take out his anger on him. Tetsurou owes him that much.

But Asahi doesn't yell. Instead, he turns away from Tetsurou to stare at his steward, and asks one more time for confirmation, "This isn't Kenma-san?"

"No, Kenma-san is currently making pie with your cousins in the Tsukishima kitchen. He's perfectly safe," Suga assures Tetsurou, who's gaping at them in confusion. "But...Akiteru-sama has updated Keishin-sama on the current state of affairs. He's flying home in two days. I believe Nekomata-san may also be in the know. I don't think there's any way we're getting out of this one," he says, grinning ruefully at Asahi. They share a look silently, something conveyed between the two of them that causes Asahi to press his hand against his temple, grinding the base of his palm into his forehead in dismay.

"So all of this was pointless." Tetsurou’s heart sinks at the statement. He feels like such an asshole.

Suga, still looking remarkably refreshing, considering the web of lies he's just discovered, chirps back, "Pretty much! You looked like you were having fun, though."

Asahi cracks a smile at that, even though he's just confirmed that everything that's happened today was a total sham. "You know what? I think I really was, and that's the craziest part of all," he says, shaking his head.

"So now that the cat's out of the bag, you two probably have some things to discuss." Suga claps Asahi on the shoulder and starts to back away, leaving Tetsurou to his doom.

But while Tetsurou's fallen back into his chair at the mention of Gramps' name, about to suffer a mental collapse, Asahi's beginning to laugh, covering his face with his hand. He must notice Tetsurou goggling at him, because his laugh trails off, and he sits back down as well, looking back earnestly. "I'm sorry, Ken- no wait, sorry-"

"Tetsurou. Kuroo Tetsurou, of Nekoma. Kenma's cousin," Tetsurou offers up in a daze.

"I'm sorry for laughing, Kuroo-san. It's just, this whole debacle is so ridiculous. Um, where do I even begin?" he says helplessly, small giggles still escaping from his throat. Tetsurou would be charmed if he weren't fighting the urge to crawl into a sewer and become a lizard monster.

"Why don't you start by introducing yourself?" Suga suggests. "I'm going to go join Kiyoko; we'll wait for you in the hotel. I'm sure Kuroo-san will want to fetch his wayward relative, so when you two are settled, come find us." Asahi and Tetsurou nod, one more confused than the other, and he gives them another bow before running off. 

"Okay," Asahi says, returning all his attention to Tetsurou, who steels himself, tensing up his back to resist the flight instinct building in him. But his companion's eyes are still soft, regarding him gently, almost amused, even. "Let me introduce myself. I am Azumane Daichi, Asahi's older brother. I'm sorry for lying to you this morning, Kuroo-san."

"Um." Is what Tetsurou says. "You're not Asahi."

The man that Tetsurou has spent all afternoon trying to charm on Kenma’s behalf, who’s funny and crafty and stern, who would be so well-matched to Kenma if they could ever get their relationship off the ground - he’s not Asahi. Even though Tetsurou has been struggling all day with his conflicting desire to do right by Kenma and to give in to the dangerous gravity between himself and Asahi, it turns out that this man isn’t Asahi at all.

"I am not," Daichi confirms. "Asahi ran away from home yesterday morning. Or maybe Friday night. I'm not too sure on the details there. I guess he fled to one of our cousin's houses, uh, where I guess _your_ cousin also went, for some reason?"

"That's. Really strange. Why the hell is Kenma in Miyagi?" Tetsurou crinkles his eyebrows, trying to figure out what could have brought him there. It's an excellent hiding place: fleeing to take refuge with the Karasuno. No one would ever have expected it, but it's still so nonsensical a choice that he can't understand how it came about. 

"I'm actually really lost on that part of the story, but in any case. Both of the actual participants of this engagement meeting are currently in Miyagi. Leaving you and me here in their place instead, and God, it's just so absurd, sorry." He dissolves into incredulous laughter again, and when Tetsurou comes to grasp exactly what's come to pass today, he can't help but to join in. This entire charade has been completely meaningless, and yet they've both been completely fooled.

When their chuckles die down, Tetsurou asks, "Okay, so just to clarify. Your brother ran away yesterday, just like Kenma. And your solution was to impersonate him and meet his fiancé in his place, hoping no one would find out."

"I mean, we seem to have come to the same conclusion. Not that that makes it a good plan, but still. You and I are in the same boat here." Daichi - and somehow that name just seems right, in a way Asahi wasn't - sits back, posture relaxed now that they're no longer tied up in their lies. Not that he had been unapproachable as Asahi, but now, there's an openness to him that draws Tetsurou in. He's let some of his barriers down, their shared circumstances tying them together in a way that already invites a certain kind of familiarity. There's none of that edge to their conversation from dancing around their true identities, trying their best to play their roles correctly, and maybe most importantly...

Daichi isn't engaged to Kenma. Tetsurou understands himself well enough to know that his feelings about this are overwhelmingly positive. It isn’t appropriate to be thinking about it now, but maybe after things have calmed down, Tetsurou could perhaps call on him again, for purely selfish reasons this time. He just wants to know if Daichi feels the same spark he does.

“Did you also dispatch people to find him and come up with a ridiculous excuse in case you got caught?” he asks, attempting to concentrate on the situation at hand.

Even when Daichi looks sheepish, there are smile lines at the corners of his eyes. “Yeah, but what I really should have been doing was preparing for damage control for when everything inevitably spiralled into pandemonium. Oh well. You win some, you lose some. Or you get murdered by your clan head for destroying an important alliance ten years in the making.” He falls forward with a sigh, elbows on the table, and his chin resting in his hands.

"Fuck, don't remind me. How disowned are you going to be?" Tetsurou asks, ruffling his hair up as a habit to release stress. Daichi begins absently rolling up a napkin into a cone.

"They'll burn my name from the register, probably. I'll have to try to get adopted into another family."

"Bokuto might take us in; allow us to join Fukurodani. What do you think? Wouldn't be such a bad life. He's loaded," Tetsurou offers jokingly.

Daichi pretends to mull it over. "I don't know if you Tokyo folk are quite my speed. I've got some friends in the Seijou clan; they're always trying to get me to visit. I’d take up with them."

"What, Aobajousai? No, no way. You'd never fit in with them. I hear they're hardworking, sure, but there's something too airy about the whole clan. Anyway, us outcasts have to stick together. Power in numbers."

"There's a whole two of us," Daichi counters, laughing. "Not sure we're any stronger for it."

"Well, unless Kenma and your brother decide they want to get hitched after all, I think they're getting the boot too."

"Okay, then, we four will beg at your friend's door for mercy when we're inevitably kicked out of our homes? Bokuto seems nice, but four freeloaders is a lot to take in.”

“Hey, we have a lot to offer. Two business majors, an engineer, and a…?”

“Law student,” Daichi says with a sigh. “Any chance they’ll want to pay for the rest of my degree?”

Tetsurou leans in, lowering his voice. “You didn’t hear this from me, but with the kind of fun Bokuto gets up to? He could always use another lawyer in his corner. And he likes you already.”

“That’s nice to know. Tell him we can hang out when you and I are finally pardoned for our crimes.”

“I’ll text him later. He’s never going to let me live today down,” Tetsurou groans.

They fall silent again, just taking the whole unbelievable situation in. Tetsurou leans back as well and closes his eyes, trying to prolong this feeling before the dread of having to explain everything to Gramps takes over. Daichi's voice, quiet and thoughtful, causes him to open his eyes again.

"You know what, though? I don't regret what we did today. Not really," Daichi says, looking out into the street to watch the flow of traffic. "Even if you were playing Kenma, I think I still met the real you, no matter how hard you were trying to hide it. You're a pretty good guy, Kuroo Tetsurou. Of all the people I had to be fake engaged to for a day, you're probably one of the best I could ask for." He grins, sharp and insufferably cute in that moment, and Tetsurou decides, fuck it. The spark, the gravity - he’s almost certain Daichi feels it too. Tetsurou's been flirting all day, and with all obligations off the table, why stop now? 

"Now who's putting on the smooth moves, Azumane? Like you said earlier, you don't have to win me over, so what am I supposed to think when you keep at it anyway?"

"You can just call me Daichi. You've earned that right by now. And maybe you’re supposed to think exactly what I hope you’re thinking,” Daichi says, boldly, but he’s started to rip the napkin in his hands into long ribbons, a nervous tic betraying the shakiness that doesn’t show in his face or voice. He’s still not made his feelings explicit; Tetsurou has an out if he wants to take it, but right now, there’s nothing he wants more than to feel Daichi’s hand in his again, to map the calluses on his palm and memorize the cut of his smile. To acknowledge the feelings he’s refused to let bloom all day. If Karasuno and Nekoma are fated always to be entangled with one another, then perhaps that same fate is what led Tetsurou to Daichi today. 

So he reaches out and takes Daichi’s hands, pressing softly against his fingers until he lets the napkin go, and says, “I’m thinking I want to know your favorite color. And your childhood dreams and least favorite ice cream flavor and which book you can’t help but reread. I want to know what time of day you love best, and if you really sleep standing in a corner without a pillow.”

“All the silly first date stuff?” Daichi asks, catching on. He tightens his hold on Tetsurou’s hands. He isn't shaking, but Tetsurou can feel his blood pounding underneath his skin, his pulse picking up by the second.

Tetsurou runs the pad of his thumb over Daichi’s wrist, capturing the fluttering of his heartbeat. “Exactly. So, why don’t you tell me something about yourself? Something no one else knows, that you’ve never said out loud before.”

Daichi looks up from their hands and Tetsurou’s swept away again by the odd intuition that he knows those dark, wide eyes. “This is going to sound too forward- well, you might laugh but, I'll tell you anyway,” Daichi says, gaze flickering down and back to Tetsurou’s face. “I wish things had been a little different, so that we might have been destined to meet like this as Tetsurou and Daichi, instead of as Kenma and Asahi. Do you understand what I mean?”

Daichi’s pulse is hummingbird quick but constant, and Tetsurou realizes belatedly that his own is as well, as he digests that sentence. He is hesitant when he first starts translating Daichi’s words.

“You wish that today wasn't an accident. That this engagement has been intended for us - that we had always been fated to meet, not because things has gone sideways, but because we were meant for each other. Am I close?” Tetsurou can’t look away, can’t even blink lest he miss a single second.

“Yeah. I think you are,” Daichi says quietly back, his breath escaping in a hiss. “Is that okay with you?” And it should weigh him down, the implications there; it should be too heavy, too much, but irrationally, he can't find any reason to protest. No one else has ever made him feel quite like this before: vulnerable and safe all at once. Daichi, with his amiable way of talking and approachable demeanor, is easy to trust. His presence is effortlessly comforting, but at the same time, Tetsurou finds himself startled by how disarming Daichi can be. The wholehearted faith he freely places in Tetsurou after having known him only for a few hours; the way he allows Tetsurou to provoke him into verbally sparring back; how underneath his firm exterior is a hidden streak of defiance, something keen and daring and unruly at his heart.

Would it be unfair to ask for someone like this to be intended for him?

Letting his eyes slip shut for a moment, Tetsurou thinks about everything that has led up to this moment, trying to imagine each branching path from every decision outside his control that still somehow compounded and coalesced until he was gifted the chance to meet Daichi today. He keeps this cosmic improbability in mind when he replies.

“It’s more than okay. But...I think I’m glad we met this way, whether by accident or by fate. I like knowing that despite absolutely everything about the situation working against us, we chose each other anyway. We shouldn't have, but we did regardless, and I'm not sorry about it. I don’t know if we’re meant to be, but for you, I’d be willing to put in the effort to make it work.” He hopes Daichi can read the appeal hiding under his words.

But there’s no need for doubt. Daichi nods, and says adamantly, “I promised the same to you earlier today, and I don’t break my promises. I would do my best to make you happy.” 

Tetsurou feels himself giving into his urge to smile, and delights in the way it appears to stun Daichi, leaving him slightly dazed. “Then let’s start the trial run. It sure would make me happy to know more about you.”

“You really want to hear this kind of drivel again?”

“If it's about you, yeah, I really do.”

“Still smooth talking, even now,” Daichi teases, but he straightens up and obliges. “Okay then, my favorite color is actually green, and I prefer shoyu ramen to tonkotsu. I don't sleep standing up, but I do tend to kick, so consider that your warning. Still a wing-spiker, but I specialize in defense…” This time, Tetsurou stores away each precious fact about Daichi for his own sake, not Kenma’s. This is his date now, and he's going to make the most of it.

Tomorrow, they’ll have to face the consequences. But today is just about them, and Tetsurou is going to enjoy every minute they have left.

\--

Daichi had wanted to see Tetsurou again, but not like this, under these circumstances.

After getting Kenma back and apologizing profusely to Akiteru, who just laughed and wished them all good luck, the Nekoma members had taken their leave that same eventful Sunday. Suga and Shouyou escorted Daichi to the train station with them; while Kenma bid Shouyou goodbye, Tetsurou called Daichi over to speak privately with him before he boarded.

“See you soon,” Daichi said ruefully, as Tetsurou rocked back and forth on his feet, hands stuck in his pockets. “We’re going to get the whooping of a lifetime.”

“I would say it’s too soon, but. I’d really like to meet you again. No pretenses this time. Just you and me, if that’s okay with you. I mean, I know how I feel about you, and how I _think_ you feel about me, but, y’know, if you change your mind, no pressure-” Despite being a good ten centimeters taller than Daichi, Tetsurou still managed to look at him up from under his eyelashes. He continued to rock nervously, but managed not to look away.

Daichi took pity on him, and reached out to grab his arm, drawing him to a halt. “I’d like that. When this is all over, I’ll call you, okay? We’ll have our real second first date next time.”

With his free hand, Tetsurou ran his fingers through his wild hair, nodding back at him. “Until next time, then.” As the others began boarding, Tetsurou pressed his hand to Daichi’s one more time, flashing him that beautiful glowing smile before pulling away. The last Daichi sees of him is his hand waving at the window until the train departs the station, setting off as evening reaches Sendai, sunset gilding the shadows of the train and the trees.

 

That was three days ago. Now, Tetsurou’s appeared before Daichi again, still as handsome as ever, even standing stock still and ill at ease next to Kenma and who he can only presume is Nekomata Yasafumi.

“Please, follow me this way! Sugawara-kun and Tanaka-kun will take your coats- oh, be careful of the steps, yes, thank you, this way,” Takechan splutters, ushering their visitors from Nekoma into the Azumane house. Daichi follows them in dutifully, trying not to make it obvious that he can’t stop looking at Tetsurou, who sneaks one glance back at him before following Kenma into the room where the Ukais and Asahi are already waiting. As his parents are currently abroad on business, it falls to Daichi to represent the Azumane household, even if the Ukai branch runs the clan. In the room at the end of the hallway, he spots Tobio and Shouyou holding their books, pretending to study, but really trying to peek over Nishinoya’s head at the proceedings.

“Ah, Takeda-kun, still working hard as usual,” Nekomata says jovially, and Daichi feels a frisson of nervous energy at how laid-back he sounds. “Make sure that Keishin doesn’t let all the work fall to you! I know how those Ukai are.”

“I heard that, Nekomata,” Ukai grumbles as they sit down at the stout table. Daichi takes his place next to Asahi, who’s left fear behind, and simply become physically petrified. Across from him, Tetsurou sits, but neither of them allow themselves to look at each other for more than a few seconds, turning instead to regard their respective heads of clan. Takeda closes the doors to the room and hurries in to sit at the table end, to act as the closest they have to a mediator. The screen leading into the yard is pushed open, so that pleasant temperature from outside can enter the house, but the atmosphere in the room is still stifling.

“So, let's get this rolling then,” Keishin says briskly. “Asahi. I think you have something to say to our guests.”

Asahi jumps a few centimeters in the air when all eyes turn to look at him. Shakily, he shuffles back until he can lower his torso to the ground and bow. “Kozume-san, Nekomata-san, Kuroo-san, I am deeply-”

“No, no need for that,” Nekomata interrupts. “This is our clan’s fault, for our failure to oversee the meeting. We were too lenient in our arrangements. We should have set up a chaperone from the very beginning, but I suppose we were too concerned with trying to keep the occasion candid. For that-”

“Now wait a second, I'm the one who said the chaperones weren't necessary,” Ukai says. “Are you saying I was in the wrong? Even if both kids had shown up, you think the meeting would've gone any better with someone hovering over their shoulders the whole time?! This isn't like the old days! Things are different now!”

“Wait, Gramps, that's not what-” Keishin tries, but Nekomata’s already on the defensive.

“That's the problem with you, Ukai! Not everything needs to be innovative! Sometimes, the old ways work for a reason!” Nekomata shoots back, his kindly face looking heated. Ukai bristles, sitting up and ready to throw down, and Daichi can only see this ending in some ridiculous brawl between two old men.

Takeda tries this time to diffuse the battle, with a pleading, “Nekomata-san, please, do not take Ikkei-sama’s words to-”

“Well, maybe if you Nekoma were a little more transparent and a little less conniving, this wouldn't even be an issue! Hiding the fact that Kozume had gone missing, and sending the Kuroo boy instead! Shameless!” Ukai yells, as if Daichi hadn't just done the exact same thing. Next to him, Asahi is clenching his fists nervously, looking like he's caught between yelling something next or passing out. Daichi elbows him gently, mouthing ‘it’ll be okay’.

Kenma, who had previously been staring out the patio doors with intense determination, jolts at Ukai’s words, finally willing to speak in order to protect his clan head’s integrity. “No, that was my fault. The clan had nothing to do with it...I decided on my own to run away.” He’s quiet, but strangely self-assured in some ways. 

“Neither Kenma nor Great-Uncle are at fault here,” Tetsurou breaks in, coming to Kenma’s defense when the rest of Karasuno starts to turn toward the shrinking blond. “The deception was all on my part, Ukai-san. I will do whatever it takes to make it up to Karasuno.”

But instead of settling down, this only drives both clan leaders to clash even louder, shouting about propriety and honesty, with Keishin trying to yell them down, and Takeda waving his arms about. To Daichi’s surprise, Kenma leans over to whisper something to Asahi, who nods back, and gears up to try to say something himself. But he's starting to look green, and Daichi can't stand it anymore.

" _I_ am responsible for the situation at hand," he declares, cutting through all the rabble with his captain voice. It's been awhile since he's had to bust it out, and never in the presence of this group of people, mostly composed of his guests and superiors, but he's had enough of this squabbling. He's a little pleased to see it still works, but mostly he feels swamped with the need to make things right. At the heart of the matter is the fact that Daichi could have avoided this entirely, but was too cowardly to face the consequences back then. He will make his reparations now.

Asahi makes to protest, but Daichi silences him by pressing a hand to his knee. “I already knew by Saturday morning that Asahi was gone. It's my fault in the first place for not preventing him from leaving, and for not realizing his true feelings on his engagement. I should have contacted Nekoma immediately to postpone the meeting and beg for forgiveness, but I did not want to alarm Keishin-niisama, so I chose to go in Asahi’s place. I know now that I only made the situation worse, and I would like to apologize to everyone here.”

“Then I’m equally to blame,” Tetsurou says, his mouth set in a flat line. “I made the same exact mistakes as you did. This is on both of us.”

“No, I knew sooner than you did. If I had called right away, I could have caught you before you even knew Kenma was gone,” Daichi says, dismissing his claim. Tetsurou had told him Yaku hadn’t noticed Kenma missing until about an hour after Kiyoko had realized Asahi had fled.

“That just means I should have checked in on Kenma sooner,” Tetsurou retorts. He turns to Nekomata. “Gramps, please don’t get too mad at Daichi. I will take responsibility for Nekoma’s failures.”

“No, this was all on me-”

“Wait, wait, both of you be quiet for a moment,” Ukai says, stopping Daichi in the middle of his sentence, and levels a glare at him. “This whole charade was your plan?”

“Yes,” Daichi responds, not breaking eye contact with his great-uncle. “Mine and mine alone.”

Keishin snorts. “Really? Because it has Sugawara written all over it. I know you, Daichi. You’re no Boy Scout, despite what people think, but a plot like this isn't your style.”

“Suga has nothing to do with it,” he denies. “Nor does anyone else in the household.” Maybe if he sounds confident enough, Keishin will buy it, but from the way his cousin scowls, it’s a bust.

“Well, we know for a fact that Tanaka and Nishinoya are the ones who spirited Asahi away, so that’s already a strike against you Daichi,” Keishin replies, but he sits back with a sigh, shaking his head. “Look, at this point I guess it doesn’t matter who did what, since it’s already happened. What I want to know is why neither of you,” pointing at Asahi and Kenma, “objected to the marriage until literally one day before it was too late to back out graciously.”

“That’s a good point, Keishin,” Nekomata says, apparently calm again, now that Takeda’s swapped places with Ukai, putting more distance between the two men. “In the end, since both families are in the wrong, we can move past this, but why wouldn’t you simply tell us to call off the engagement?” He looks first to Kenma, then to Asahi. They both shrink into themselves silently.

“We wouldn’t have been angry,” Takeda says gently, his voice soothing after all the commotion. “This concerns the family, of course, but this is _your_ future. We want you to know that we would have understood. We still will, if you’d like to explain.” All the occupants of the room fall still, waiting on a response.

Asahi is the first to look up from staring at his lap, and he takes a deep breath before speaking. Daichi hears the slightest hitch on his inhale, but his eyes are clear and focused, and when he starts talking, it’s the voice of the reliable Asahi that Daichi knows.

“I’m sorry. I...I’ve actually had my reasons for wanting to break off the engagement for a long time now, but...I was too scared to come out and explain myself.” He stops to look directly at Kenma, and ducks his head in shame. “I especially want to apologize to you, Kenma-san. I was going to attend the meeting and explain to you in person then why I couldn’t marry you, but I backed out at the last minute. I couldn’t come see you, because it felt like a betrayal to someone important to me, so I ran instead, and for that, I’m deeply ashamed.”

Everyone else remains silent, waiting on Kenma to respond. He doesn’t look offended, just mildly curious, large golden eyes peering at Asahi without blinking. “I know it should be, but it’s really not a big deal to me, Asahi-san. I ran away too, so I think I understand better than anyone why you did what you did. Though I don’t get what you mean when you talk about betrayal.”

Daichi feels the eerie sensation of static in the air, like something serious is about to break; instinctively, he glances at Tetsurou, who he catches watching him. Before he can avert his eyes again, Asahi’s voice triggers the electricity Daichi senses zipping through his skin.

“Because...because I’ve already promised myself to someone else. I’m- ugh, I can’t believe I’m revealing it this way, but- I’ve been dating Nishinoya for the last two years!” Asahi finally blurts. His eyes are squeezed shut, so he doesn’t see how everyone else grinds to a stop. Daichi bites his own lip accidentally when he swivels from watching Tetsurou to Kenma and back to Asahi, who flattens himself prostrate to the floor in penance.

“Oh, fuck.” Suga’s quietly stunned voice, floating in from out in the hallway, resounds through the room. Daichi had figured he was out there listening in, but it's the first time they've been quiet enough to hear anyone outside. Meanwhile, all hell breaks loose.

“Noya-san?! You, and with Asahi-nii? Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Dumbass Shouyou, stop yelling! Everyone in there can hear you! This is why they didn’t tell you!” 

“They didn’t tell you either, stupid Tobio! And you’re even louder than me!”

“Guys, guys! Haven’t you ever watched a drama before? Think of the scandal that would have happened if it came out that Asahi-san’s in love with his valet even though he’s engaged to another man!”

“Bahaha, exactly, Ryu! That’s why Asahi-san and I have been keeping it a secret this whole time!” Noya’s cackle is inappropriately triumphant. Asahi looks like he wants to die. Everyone else outside continues their screaming.

“Shut _up_ , all of you!” Keishin finally bellows, smacking his hand against the tatami mat. “At least _pretend_ you’re not listening in, dammit! Sugawara! Handle this!”

“Yessir,” Suga calls back. A series of muted thuds and grunts follow as Suga distributes a good chop to each of them, before everyone shuffles away to a different room. Inside the room, the vacuum persists. Daichi’s still trying to figure out how they managed to keep the relationship hidden for longer than two days, let alone two _years_.

Ukai’s the first to break the silence, scratching at his beard. “Noya, huh? Pretty good choice; he’s a keeper, that one.”

“Gramps, is that seriously all you have to say?” Keishin demands, and his grandfather just shrugs. Takeda and Daichi each relax marginally when it seems like no one is going to start yelling again.

“Well, I was mostly worried because we didn’t know why Asahi would take off for no reason, but it turns out he’s got one of the best reasons of all. Don’t look down on love, you brat.” Ukai scolds.

“Haha, still the romantic, aren’t you, Ukai?” Nekomata laughs, and Daichi thinks he might get whiplash from how quickly their temperaments keep changing. “I can’t say I blame you, Azumane-kun. Each of my children married for love; it would be hypocritical to judge you for wanting to do the same.” He waves his hand in the air, as if to wipe away any debt. Asahi raises his head, and sits back up straight next to Daichi, relieved that he’s not going to be interrogated for now.

“Alright, so we understand Asahi. What about you then, Kozume-san?” Keishin asks, and all eyes turn to Kenma. Tetsurou shifts closer to Kenma, intuitively trying to protect him; Daichi can tell it’s an action so deeply ingrained in his body that he probably doesn’t even notice.

But Daichi can also tell that while Kenma is reserved and a little jumpy, he’s not weak by any means. It’s not that he has nothing to say, but rather too many things to say that maybe shouldn’t be said. 

Another tick passes before Kenma speaks. He cocks his head, his hair falling to obscure part of his face and his eyes concentrated on the floor. “Unlike Asahi-san, I won't be marrying for love. I don't want to get married at all. Or fall in love, or any of that. Those kinds of relationships...those aren't for me. It's not something that I could ever learn to understand. But I didn't know if this would seem like a stupid reason, so I never brought it up. I thought at first it might be alright, if I could just be friends with my husband, but I'm the only Kozume heir, and thinking about adopting kids with him and all that...I realized I couldn't do it. I apologize for not speaking up sooner,” he finishes, bowing his head.

This time, Tetsurou speaks immediately, and ruffles Kenma’s hair while he does so. “You could have told me, you know,” he says quietly, directed only at his cousin. Kenma shakes his hand off, but his face isn't annoyed.

“I know, Kuro, but people were depending on me, and logically, I should have been able to go through with it. I didn't realize until too late. I'm sorry, Asahi-san, everyone.”

“You shouldn't be,” Asahi says suddenly, only flinching a tiny bit when everyone turns to him this time. “You don't have to apologize for doing what was right for you. I understand. Thank you for explaining.”

Kenma looks at him then, and something unsaid seems to pass between them. “Thank you for your patience with me. I wish you the best with Noya-san.”

“Thanks,” Asahi responds, blushing at the tips of his ears. “I'm glad we did get to meet, Kenma-san.”

“So that's it then,” Ukai sighs when it seems the betrothed are done speaking. “We should officially break the engagement off now, seeing as neither of these two can go through with it.”

“I suppose so,” Nekomata agrees. “Though it’s too bad. I thought our dream might actually work out, Ukai.” They both sigh again, sounding as personally wronged as possible.

“Calm down, you two; you're not gonna kick the bucket so soon,” Keishin says, rolling his eyes. “There are still some of the younger heirs - maybe if we actually gave them a chance to see each other once in a while, two of them might hit it off.”

“True, that would help,” Ukai admits, crossing his arms. “Maybe we could have another get together sometime, see where it leads. The dream isn't dead yet!”

“Before you two start spouting off about dreams, you should improve your own relationship first,” his grandson tells him. 

“Ah, Keishin, you of all people should know this is the natural way between Karasuno and Nekoma,” Nekomata says with a hearty laugh. “Even when we get along we can't help but give each other as good as we’ve got.”

Tetsurou grins and prods Kenma in the side. “Not this one. He and the mini Ukai get on just fine.”

Thinking back on it, it does seem to be true. Kenma had been chatting over pie with Shouyou when Tetsurou had gone to collect him. Which leads to the real question here: “Kenma-san, how do you even know Shouyou?” Daichi had totally forgotten to ask before.

“We met online some time ago,” Kenma says cryptically, as his line of sight flicks from Tetsurou to Daichi and back. “Shouyou is easy to talk to in person, too.”

Nekomata squints at Kenma, already plotting something. “Shouyou, hmm? Do you think he'd get along with Yuuki or Akane?” 

“Shouyou gets along with almost anyone,” Kenma says with a smile. “But instead of plotting, why don't you just ask Kuro if he’ll consider it?”

Tetsurou starts at that; Daichi tries not to do the same. “Me? With the shorty? The age gap is kind of large…”

“Not with _Shouyou_.” Kenma shakes his head disdainfully, and sends a pointed look in Daichi’s direction. It's unsettling, but not unkind. “Do you want me to spell it out for you?” 

Tetsurou and Daichi look at one another, caught at a loss for what to say. Neither of them had anticipated having to discuss the nature of their relationship so soon, especially not here. Daichi tries to send a message with just his eyebrows, telling him it's okay for him to say whatever he feels is appropriate, but it only seems to draw more attention to them.

Daichi can see Tetsurou tensing up with both Nekomata and Ukai turned to him, but before he can deny anything, Nekomata pipes up. “Tetsurou and the eldest Azumane boy, eh? You two were quick to defend each other today; you really bonded the other day, didn't you?” There's a gleam in his eye that leaves Daichi suspicious of what's to come. But nothing in the world can prepare him for what he hears next.

“It’s not so different from the first time they met. Banding together, bonding, then running all over the place, causing a ruckus,” Ukai comments thoughtfully. “A little less jumping, maybe.”

Huh?

Daichi doesn't even have time to parse that sentence before he blurts, “What do you mean ‘ _the first time they met_ ’?”

Takeda clarifies the question for him, pushing his slipping glasses back up the bridge of his nose. “Ikkei-sama, does this mean Daichi and Kuroo-san have met before last week?” Daichi is rooted to the spot, awaiting Ukai’s answer. He doesn't even have to look at Tetsurou to sense he's in the same shape. There's no air in his lungs, but his blood keeps coursing anyway, spreading turmoil instead of oxygen through his body.

“Ah, that’s right, the time we brought Kenma here. You were there too, Tetsurou. You and Azumane-kun were playing out in the yard there,” Nekomata tells them pointing out to the courtyard garden. Daichi looks, hoping for an epiphany, but all he sees is the yellow flowers and the trimmed grass and the high fence at the edge, like it's always been. 

Tetsurou’s face tells a different story. His brow is furrowed and his lips scrunched as he looks between the garden and inside the room. “The yard...there's another room, adjacent to this one, isn't there? One that also opens up into the garden?” he asks hesitantly. Keishin nods, and Tetsurou continues muttering, focusing on the garden outside. “I was here. Years ago. We came here to see the other baby, Kenma’s friend. That was you, wasn’t it?” he asks Asahi, who shrugs timidly. “Yeah, you were too young to remember. I’d mostly forgotten too. But I met another... _oh_. The boy with the volleyball.” He turns back to look at Daichi, gold-flecked eyes filled with wonder, voice impossibly fond. “It was you. My co-captain. It was always you.”

Daichi doesn’t understand, not immediately. But he follows Tetsurou’s line of sight to the yard again, carding through all the memories that he’s formed there over the years, and he recalls, vaguely, tossing a ball around with a friend whose face he can’t quite remember. He looks from the yard back to Tetsurou, and thinks of that wild hair, and the way he runs, long strides and fluid movements, and at the back of his mind, pieces start clicking together. The boy who leapt like a cat does, quick and lean, who was smart and tricky and blocked as well as Daichi received; a friend whose face is not quite a blur anymore. Comprehension dawns, like the daybreak he's long been waiting for. “You’re the boy with the move that goes ‘wha-bam’?” Daichi asks, astonished.

Tetsurou stares, nonplussed by Daichi’s question, then his visible eye crinkles as he laughs. “That’s me. It’s more polished now, I promise.”

It’s been so many years that the memory isn’t much more than a nostalgic haze of color and emotion, but the longer he looks at Tetsurou, the easier it is to see. Daichi hasn’t thought of him in so long that the encounter had almost faded from his mind, leaving only faint traces behind in his subconscious, like the ghost of familiarity that seemed to appear in Tetsurou’s features. All he can recall now is the dejection he’d felt the first couple of weeks, then months that went by without seeing his friend again. Dejection dwindled into a wistful yearning as the years passed. At some point, around junior high, he’d thought of his friend again, out of the blue, and spent the afternoon perfecting what he might say should they meet again, but now, the only words he can manage are these:

“I missed you.”

“You saw me three days ago,” Tetsurou says, still looking at Daichi like he’s the sun and the stars, even as he’s teasing him.

“You know what I mean, jerk,” Daichi bites back, as if he’s not wearing the most embarrassing smile right now. “I couldn’t care less about you. I miss my dear friend Tetsu. He was smart and energetic and had the coolest moves.”

“My moves are still plenty cool. Kid Daichi would agree with me.”

“Kid Daichi lived in simpler times. You’re all talk, no game, Tetsurou. Put your money where your mouth is. You owe me a match, remember?”

“Of course I do. I don’t break my promises either, Daichi, but you’ll have to wait a little longer. We _are_ kind of in the middle of something here.”

Daichi almost forgets there are other people in the room until he hears Kenma turn placidly to Nekomata and say, “See? _They_ get along just fine.”

“You're on to something here, Kenma,” Nekomata says, watching them like a fox stalking his prey. Ukai nods in agreement, leaning forward to get a better look at them, and Keishin groans, putting his face in his hands.

“Okay, these two geezers are obviously conspiring again, so it's safe to say that you two can go,” he tells Kenma and Asahi. “Consider the engagement terminated. Enjoy your newfound freedom. Go make merry with the other kids; we’re gonna be here for awhile.”

Takeda stands, gesturing for them to follow him out, but Daichi stops Asahi from leaving by drawing him into a hug. It's been too long since he's done this, and thinking about how much of his brother’s life he’s been out of the loop for, he vows to do better from here on out.

“Daichi, I should’ve told you, but-” Asahi babbles, but Daichi shakes his head, hugging him tighter; Asahi’s long arms finally wrap tentatively around him and Daichi pats him on the back. He can’t help sticking in one jab to the side though, and Asahi flinches.

“Hey, stop worrying, you negative beard. We’ll talk about it later,” Daichi tells him, slapping his arm affectionately. “But I’m glad. About Noya, I mean. I’m happy if you’re happy,” he says, like a question, and Asahi doesn’t hesitate to nod. 

“I am. I think it’s one of the best things to ever happen to me,” Asahi murmurs, and he really does look radiant, in his quiet, looming way. Daichi sends him out, and from the corner of his eye, sees Tetsurou release Kenma from a hug as well. Asahi holds the door open for Takeda and Kenma, who avoids him by a wide berth, but waits patiently for Asahi to shut the door, even daring to glance at him once or twice. Daichi hopes that one day, even though they're now free from their obligation to one another, they can at least be friends.

He turns back to face the trio currently muttering among themselves, and almost bumps into Tetsurou, sidestepping awkwardly at the last second. He's stopped from falling by Tetsurou’s hand at the small of his back, holding him up. The hand remains, sending sparks up Daichi’s spine until he's righted himself, both feet flat on the floor.

“Careful, wouldn't want you to fall for me,” Tetsurou says, slick like oil, and about half serious, his dumb adorable face all sly again.

Daichi decidedly doesn't roll his eyes. “Too late.” Tetsurou’s flustered reaction is totally worth basically admitting his feelings out loud. 

He would revel in it longer, but the adults around the table are all waving their hands at them, trying to summon them back. “You two, come sit back down,” Ukai orders. “We’ve got a lot to discuss.”

Nekomata beams at them when they return to the table and sit down beside each other.

“Have either of you ever given any thought to marriage?”

\--

With one final burst of effort, Kenma manages to break free from the fence-like formation Noya and Tobio have formed around him, and he dashes away, up the porch steps. He almost trips on a step, giving his foes a chance to catch up, but with both Daichi and Yachi pulling him into the house, he escapes to the safety of the meeting room, where Kiyoko greets him with snacks. Tetsurou chuckles as he watches the sharks in the yard circling around the porch; Asahi tries his best to rein Tanaka in, but it’s really Suga calling them all over to attempt another combination attack that finally draws them away from Kenma’s blood in the water.

Daichi drops down next to him, passing over a slice of watermelon wordlessly, and they follow the trajectory of the ball from Suga’s set to Shouyou’s hand, and the path it cuts through the bushes from his strike.

“Is it how you imagined it?” Daichi asks. They all changed into t shirts and shorts to play, with Kenma and Tetsurou borrowing from Shouyou and Asahi, respectively; tragically, Tetsurou did not get to see Nishinoya’s famed gym shorts. But he does thank the stars above for the way Daichi’s shirt falls slightly uneven, so that his collarbone peeks out.

“I was hoping the game would be more organized, but that can hold until next time.”

“Next time,” Daichi says, the phrase imbued with a certain oomph. “That always seems to be our go-to promise.”

Tetsurou lounges back, resting his weight on his arms. “I like it. It's a vow. Next time, we’ll have enough players. Next time, you guys will come out to Tokyo. Next time, we’ll have our first real date.” 

After swiping a stray drop of melon juice from his cheek, Daichi puts his rind aside and kicks his legs out, to dangle them over the porch edge. “You're right, it does sound nice. Like there's always something awaiting us in the future.”

“Well, after today, it’s sure as hell true for you and me. I’d forgotten how involved all of this stuff is: all the legal papers, the expense reports, and the goddamn wedding binders. I like planning things out too, sure, but do we really need _multiple_ binders? Shit, and that's not even factoring the living arrangements afterwards - we’re gonna be up to our necks in this for years.” Tetsurou flops to the porch floor, defeated, his piece of melon falling over too.

“That's why I'm banking on a long engagement. Hope you don't mind, but I'm not sure I can finish my last year at school with all this hanging over our heads,” Daichi says. He lies down as well, scooting up so their faces are level.

Peeking around, making sure none of their relatives are listening in, Tetsurou ducks his head close to Daichi’s, whispering, “Hey, so I don't want to move too fast but...what do you think about eloping?”

Daichi’s smile, sweet and consistent, reappears as he whispers back, “They’ll kill us for sure.”

True. “Okay, but before we agree on a long engagement, I need to know: no objections to any of this? Being married to me, getting stuck with awesome Nekoma members as in-laws, maybe moving to Tokyo? Speak now or forever hold your peace.” Tetsurou says, elbowing Daichi, who jabs back.

“That part comes later, you dope. My only objection is to those bad biology pick-up lines you like. But I guess the plus side of being married is that you’ll never have any reason to use a pick-up line on me again.” Tetsurou had unleashed a whole slew of them on him during their train ride back to Miyagi last week; Daichi and Yaku had groaned at each one, but good, dependable Suga had enjoyed them.

“Daichi, darling, being married gives me all the more reason to use bad pick-up lines on you. But be serious with me for a sec. Are you okay with this?” He shouldn’t have to ask; he was very much present when Daichi had also accepted the terms, but it’s different when they’re alone. He wants to see Daichi’s eyes when he answers, nothing between them but the space of several centimeters and twenty lost years.

“ _You’re_ telling _me_ to be serious?” Daichi asks, sounding far too entertained. But he settles down, to the verge of tenderness when he tells Tetsurou, “If I weren’t, I wouldn’t have accepted. I’m more than okay. Don’t tell anyone, but…” He pauses to glance around, before shielding his mouth with a hand to ward off any onlookers. “I might even be looking forward to it,” he whispers, a hidden secret just for Tetsurou to hear.

There’s a bubble of space around them that the other know not to disturb, but it’s filling up with the summer heat when they’re lying so close. It’s dangerously cozy, so to stop from being lulled into moving too quickly, too soon, Tetsurou resorts to making a flippant comment. If he doesn’t, he might actually just kiss Daichi here and now, lying in front of his garden, in full view of his family. “Wow, you have a _huge_ crush on me, don’t you? I’m telling everybody.”

It has the desired effect of causing Daichi to roll his eyes and shove at Tetsurou’s chest while pretending not to smile. “Jeez, you can’t be trusted with anything. You are the _worst_.”

Tetsurou grabs his hand and holds it in place over his heart, cooing, “Did you carve our names in a heart on a tree? Do I have a special ringtone in your phone? Did you throw a sleepover and tell all your friends how much you like me? I hope you told them how we met. It’s a really beautiful story. I bet your Seijou pals loved it.”

“I’ve never regretted anything in my life more than this. I need to go now. I think Kiyoko is asking for me.” He starts to roll away, but Tetsurou latches onto his sleeve, clenching tight. The shirt collar starts stretching out beyond capacity as Daichi does his best to escape, revealing a large swath of his back and his shoulder blades, but he gives up, slumping back into place before they destroy his tee.

“It was love at first sight,” Tetsurou sighs dreamily, patting the warped wrinkles out of the shirt ineffectively. “You saw my handsome face and fell hard, instantly, didn’t you?” He slides his arm under Daichi’s head and over his shoulders, affectionately shaking him. It doesn't work well when they're lying down.

“Don’t kid yourself,” Daichi throws back, making a half-hearted attempt to wiggle his arm off. “It wasn’t instant. It was more of a gradual realization. Like waking up slowly after a long sleep.”

“Yeah, see- wait. What? Huh?” Tetsurou’s smirk slowly fades as his face heats up with a blush. He doesn't know how Daichi manages it. He's the one who comes in strong with a cheesy one-liner, but Daichi always outdoes him without trying.

Rolling back over so he’s lying on his side, facing Tetsurou, Daichi taps him on the forehead, grinning. “For someone who flirts so casually, you have your guard down an awful lot. It’s sort of cute.” He scratches at his own cheek for a second before continuing.

“Yui told me something once, about being in love. That sometimes it sneaks up on you until you realize why it is you feel so at ease with someone. Talking to you, being with you, I felt like I could live the rest of my life like that. Maybe it's just the subconscious fondness I had for you from when we were kids, but even if we’d never realized that, you would have still been special. You'd still feel like home.”

That’s exactly what it is, Tetsurou realizes now. “It’s familiarity,” he says, after finding the right word. “ As if we’d known we would fit together. Like meeting an old friend again after a long time, which is exactly what happened, I guess. You were magnetic, is how I would put it, but there was also something clearly... _constant_ about you, like I was returning to a well-loved place. Like I was coming home.”

He reaches his hand toward Daichi, palm out. Without a word, Daichi meets him halfway, the light smack of their high-five stinging Tetsurou’s palm, reminding him that this isn’t a daydream or a distorted memory. 

“I feel like I’ve arrived somewhere I was always meant to be.” Daichi tells him, linking his hand with Tetsurou’s. “So was it fate after all?” 

“Could be, but we deserve some credit too. For us _both_ to be irrational enough to go through with our stupid schemes - the blame for that falls completely on us. We made this happen. Woohoo, go us.” Tetsurou raises their joined hands and waves them about in the air to celebrate.

“That’s already one win for the team. That’s a good start.” The sound of Asahi’s squawk draws Daichi’s attention away. Tetsurou observes him watching his family run rampant in the yard, consumed with the sudden nostalgic rush of memory from the volleyball rolling away through the grass. Daichi yells at his brother not to mind, followed by a shake of his head and a wry smile, and Tetsurou is hit with a rush of affection for him. Not because he’s Tetsurou’s lost friend, but because the boy from his memory just happened to grow up into someone he’s already half fallen for.

“Daichi,” he murmurs. When Daichi looks at him, Tetsurou is momentarily distracted by how clear and deep his eyes are, just like the first time he saw Daichi in the hotel cafe. He has to take a slow breath before speaking. “I’m glad you went to Tokyo that day. I’m glad I got to meet you for the first time again.”

“So am I,” Daichi replies, those lovely eyes bright with joy, and Tetsurou smiles back at him.

This is really happening. He’s going to make a life with Daichi - for their families, and for themselves. Whether it’s a gift from fate or not, Tetsurou’s taking this chance and turning it into his future. He’s finally come home.

“Hey, you two, stop making out and come play!” Suga calls, bouncing on his toes. Kenma’s been convinced to set for Shouyou again, Tobio watching intensely from the sidelines as Asahi, Noya and Tanaka receive his spike. After the ball leaves his hands, Kenma notices them watching and gives them the slightest nod, causing Shouyou to wave at the two of until they show signs of moving.

Daichi sits up first, dusting off the dirt from his knees before offering his hand to Tetsurou. “Let’s go.”

Tetsurou doesn’t hesitate to accept his hand. “For you, anywhere.” He follows Daichi out, back to the place where they first met. Back to the beginning of something new, and this time, they’ll be together.

\--

With his deepest bow, Daichi introduces himself. "Hello. I am Azumane Daichi. It's nice to finally meet you." He tries to keep his voice steady, neutral, but he thinks he might sound as dizzy and nervous as he feels.

The other man, with his crooked smile and lithe frame and those strong, sturdy arms - Daichi's fiancé - bows in kind, winking at Daichi when their eyes meet as he straightens back up. It's a little gesture, but it reminds Daichi of how easy it is between them, and of the soothing fit of their intertwined hands, and he feels the turmoil inside him settle down from butterflies into a gentle hum of warmth in his chest as his companion speaks. "Likewise. I'm Kuroo Tetsurou, but you probably knew that already."

Daichi nods as he smiles at his future husband, and Tetsurou grins back. For some reason, he gets the feeling that they'll be just fine.

This is the first day of their future together, and there's no place Daichi would rather be.


End file.
